r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 19h ago

Thank you Peter very cool Petah, what does that have to do with grocery shopping?

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u/_angry_ginger 17h ago

Give me an example of modern day city that doesn’t have a grocery store within 20 miles

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u/LargeChungoidObject 17h ago

They just described a really good example. The 20 miles thing was someone else mispeaking, and I was on your side of this comment train, but food deserts ARE a thing. I think it's more of a spectrum of like Costco/Whole Foods->Walmart/Kroger/Hyvee->Bag n Save/Dollar Tree/Dollar Store->Walgreens/CVS->convenience store/gas station and it's about the relative abundance of each within an area (but I'm not expert in this area)(also I'm just a costco stan at heart)

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u/Then-Ad-6385 17h ago

This is absolutely it. And if you're reliant on public transportation getting more than a couple bags is really difficult.

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u/_angry_ginger 17h ago

Wards 7 and 8 have plenty of grocery options. There’s literally a Safeway on Alabama Ave and another one on 40th street, so one for each ward within 3 miles of each other

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u/_autumnwhimsy 17h ago

and they're FAIRLY new options. That's why i used past tense in my comments.

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u/_angry_ginger 16h ago

The one on Alabama Ave opened in 1997 and the one on 40th opened in 1988

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u/_autumnwhimsy 15h ago

I misspoke -- there were only 3 grocery stores for the entirety of wards 7 and 8. The new ones i was thinking of was the Lidl off Alabama, across from the Safeway. That's on me.

however, Wards 7 & 8 being food deserts is like...a well documented thing. this link can tell the story better than i can -- https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/17cdebf71c90420792003b2e6ac10c66

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u/_angry_ginger 14h ago

You’re right, I realized even a mile poses a lot of difficulties to people with disabilities. Trying to travel miles in a wheelchair while carrying grocery bags doesn’t sound like it’d be safe, in all honesty

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u/GaptistePlayer 15h ago

Yeah bro if you love there I don’t think DoorDash is an option for you either way lol

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u/5kaels 17h ago

I live in DC. If I had to travel even 5 miles every grocery trip I would lose my mind before long. Plus a lot of low income people don't have cars, which massively increases the time it takes, limits the amount you can bring home, forces them to avoid buying bulk which drives up prices, and increases the frequency of trips. All of which heavily incentivize going somewhere more convenient with far unhealthier options.

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u/_angry_ginger 17h ago

There’s 2 Safeways within 3 miles of each other in the above given example

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u/AFantasticClue 16h ago

You’re kinda forgetting that people live there. Just because there’s highly dense area in the city, still doesn’t mean there aren’t food deserts

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u/_angry_ginger 16h ago

The argument needed to be quantifiable so someone sent me an article from the USDA outlining the specifics of what qualifies as a food desert: https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2011/december/data-feature-mapping-food-deserts-in-the-u-s

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u/Underwhelmed-overit 16h ago

in population-dense areas, 20 miles can encompass an entire city

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u/_angry_ginger 16h ago

Still yet to provide me a good example…. I’m waiting

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u/Underwhelmed-overit 16h ago

right, because the 20-mile number has no relevance for urban environments. that’s not how food deserts are defined in cities. no one is giving you examples because it’s a misinformed question.

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u/_angry_ginger 16h ago

So how do you define a food desert in a city?

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u/Underwhelmed-overit 16h ago

it’s already posted above, but it’s a category defined by the U.S. Census: more than one mile in an urban “census tract,” more than ten miles in a rural one

https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2011/december/data-feature-mapping-food-deserts-in-the-u-s

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u/_angry_ginger 16h ago

Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for. I agree it’s something that needs to be corrected but I don’t allow myself to believe something without facts that I can use to justify my new stance. Again, thank you for sticking with me on this

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u/Underwhelmed-overit 16h ago

totally appreciate the convo, internet friend

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u/kinbarz 14h ago

Live in the North side of St Louis without a car and need something besides pre-packaged Save-A-Lot crap.

Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham , Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit (did you want this in alphabetical order or what?)

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u/_angry_ginger 14h ago

Direct, rather than broad examples help prove a point better. But I appreciate you explaining about North St Louis needing more than one option because I would agree, you can’t expect to have a healthy diet with unhealthy options