[Blindtlk] Grocery shopping, and transportation questions

Fri Oct 8 22:56:01 UTC 2010

i can't answer all your questions but one of the things i have found helpful 
in gong shopping is i got a pull cart from target, you can also buy them at 
wall mart, it holds about 4 to 6 large bags of  groceries, there are 
different sizes. the one i have can go up and down stairs  farely easily, 
it looks a lot like a grocery cart but is upright instead of long. i put a 
large outdoor garbage bag in it and stuff it as much as i can and pull it 
home. even in the snow it works well.
also have you looked in to whether ther is a para transit program in your 
town? you just never know without asking. where i live in colorado springs 
there is para transit and bus service for part of the tonw, not the part i 
live in of course, but there is some. i have been  fortunate enough to have 
moved close to the grocery store and a small neighborhood mall with other 
businesses. i live too far from wall mart to walk and this year i have a 
child who drives, but next year i will go back to not having a driver live 
in the house so will have to ask a friend for the longer trips or take a 
cab. jeanette
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kerri Kosten" <kerrik2006 at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>; "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 4:43 PM
Subject: [Blindtlk] Grocery shopping, and transportation questions


> Hi All:
>
> I have some more questions about grocery shopping and transportation.
> Instead of making two separate posts, I figured I'd just put all my
> questions in one post...they are somewhat related to each other.
>
> I'll start with the grocery shopping questions.
>
> In the apartment building I live in, there is no elevator.
> Unfortunately I live on the third floor, which is up four flights of
> steps. What is the best way to carry lots of groceries up the steps?
> Would it be okay, when having lots of groceries to set some of the
> bags on the floor in the hallway by the door, go up with as much as I
> can carry, then come back for the rest? Is there any better way to
> carry groceries than in the plastic bags the grocery bagger puts them
> in? I've been told about burlap sacks that you can carry on your
> shoulder...does this reduce the load much? I want to make this as easy
> as possible.
>
> How often do you usually go grocery shopping? When you go, do you just
> get the things you absolutely need, and keep the load as little as
> possible or do you usually take advantage of the fact you are at the
> store and get lots of stuff?
>
> My next questions are about transportation. I live in a college town.
> I guess it's your typical college town. It's big enough to be
> considered a small city or large town...we have five Krogers, four or
> more Walmarts...tons of restaurants and bars, two malls...two movie
> theaters. It isn't a major city though.
>
> We do have a bus system but I've never been encouraged to use it. I've
> just been expected to take cabs everywhere.
>
> One of the problems though is that the town is not really a walking
> town...there are parts of it you can walk in but not very many. When
> things/places are built, often pedestrian accessibility is left out.
>
> There doesn't seem to be any blind people; there is no NFB chapter.
> So, naturally the majority of the people, including most of the
> students drive. From what I've read on their website, the bus covers
> many areas, but usually until only 6 o'clock, unless it's downtown
> where the students are. I don't live downtown though. Because of this,
> I find myself having to take cabs almost everywhere. Cabs here are
> about $5-6 each way. Is this normal for a college town? Is this
> expensive for a cab?
>
> Are my only options to either take the bus when it is available or take 
> cabs?
>
> Should I just not worry about the expense and take cabs when and wherever?
>
> Is learning to use the bus hard or is it as simple as calling and
> asking the right questions?
>
>>From what I can tell, from where I live, in order to take the bus
> again since I'm not in the downtown student area I will have to take
> two buses to get anywhere and it usually takes about two hours. Is
> this normal for a large town/small city?
>
> The closest major city to me is Pittsburgh. There is a bus that goes
> there twice. In order to take a grayhound bus, or AM track train you
> have to somehow get to Pittsburgh. Is the bus going twice daily
> reasonable?
>
> For those of you who live in college towns similar to this how do you
> find a balance between taking cabs, using family and friends, and
> taking the bus?
>
> What is the cost monthly of owning a vehicle compared to taking cabs
> all the time? I'm sorry to ask this...I've never been told.
>
> I guess I am just asking these questions because I want to make sure
> I'm not getting screwed so to speak. I don't mind taking cabs, but
> sometimes I feel like I'm just automatically expected to spend the
> money just because...if you know what I mean by that! I've been told
> owning a vehicle is several hundreds of dollars a month when the cost
> of maintaenance, car payments, insurance, and gas is added up but
> again these have just been from sighted people who don't take cabs. It
> seems like most other blind people I know don't take cabs unless they
> absolutely have to and I hate having to do it all the time. In one
> sense I feel like I'm being told to go ahead, don't worry about it,
> owning a vehicle is expensive too...but then on the other hand so many
> blind people don't seem to like doing it. I know each town is
> different...but if I want to go somewhere and it's after 6 and the bus
> doesn't go are cabs or family/friends my only options? I've never gone
> completely broke or run out of money by taking cabs but again...I feel
> as if I'm getting mixed messages and I want to make sure I'm doing the
> right/best thing. From where I live you can't walk anywhere as there
> are several things across the street but it's not actually a street
> but a major six-lane highway...so walking is out. I'm not married and
> live alone. Do those of you who live in towns like this find
> yourselves having to also take cabs more frequently than other blind
> people? I know my questions seem a little crazy but I thought I'd ask
> them all in one post.
>
> Thanks so much!
>
> Kerri
>
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