28: Walking to the supermarket
What if supermarkets cared as much for their walk-up customers?
The extent to which the main supermarkets place emphasis on accessing their stores by car is, in a number of locations throughout Auckland and other towns and cities in NZ, quite out of proportion to the choices and habits of their customers.
Wouldn’t it be good if the starting line from the supermarket companies was to acknowledge that in locations with good walkability (i.e. any town centre or main street and older established residential areas with generally good walkability) people will and do walk up to supermarkets. Sure, they might not carry away a fortnightly shop but the supermarkets know as well as you do that that is not the only way people shop anymore.
Similarly, it is a nonsense to suggest people won’t use the bus to go to the supermarket. Some people will choose to do so, especially if only getting a few items. And even more likely, people catching the bus home from work by bus are quite likely to drop by the supermarket after they alight and then walk the rest of the way home.
Things are improving for pedestrians through supermarket car parks but it could be a lot better and often with minimal effort or impact on operations.
Stuart Houghton 2014
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We walk to our Supie all the time as it is a good way to get our kid out of the house. They have just upgraded the carpark to put little gardens between the rows of cars but no pedestrian access at all. Silly since it means you have to walk through the carpark holding up the cars wanting to get in and out.
Interesting there Patrick
From the Unitary Plan in regards to Metropolitan Centres
7.Recognise the importance of particular streets identified on the Key Retail and General Commercial Frontage overlay as primary places for public interaction:
a. by requiring buildings with frontages to these streets to:
i. provide greater ground floor heights to maximise building adaptability to a range of uses
ii. avoid blank walls
iii. provide easily accessible pedestrian entrances.
b. and in addition, require building frontages subject to the Key Retail Frontage overlay to:
i. maximise glazing
ii. erect frontages of sufficient height to frame the street
iii. provide weather protection to pedestrians
iv. avoid new vehicle crossings.
8.Support the development of public transport, pedestrian and cycle networks and the ability to change transport modes.
9. Encourage supermarkets and department stores within metropolitan centres by recognising:
a. the positive contribution these activities make to centre viability and function, and
b. designs that positively contribute to the streetscape and character of their surroundings, having regard to the functional requirements of these activities.
And Town Centres
Recognise the importance of streets identified in the Key Retail and General Commercial Frontage overlay as primary places for public interaction:
a. by requiring buildings with frontages to these streets to:
i. provide greater ground floor heights to maximise building adaptability to a range of uses
ii. avoid blank walls
iii. provide easily accessible pedestrian entrances.
b. and in addition, require building frontages subject to the Key Retail Frontage overlay to:
i. maximise glazing
ii. erect frontages of sufficient height to frame the street
iii. provide weather protection to pedestrians.
6.Encourage supermarkets and department stores within town centres by recognising:
a. the positive contribution these activities make to centre viability and function, and
b. designs that positively contribute to the streetscape and character of their surroundings, having regard to the functional requirements of these activities.
So one can take two things from it
1) No more large supermarkets with large front on surface car parking if in a Metropolitan Centre. I wonder if they the supermarkets would be forced to place them underground.
2) Supermarkets must blend (something they are piss poor at most days) in with surrounds and provide easy pedestrian access.
I wonder how this will pan out post 2016
It will probably pan out as a major scrap over the Unitary Plan followed by a whole heap of non-complying activity applications (the Council can’t stop anyone applying for these). Then a bunch of Environment Court appeals if the Council tries to stop ‘out of centre’ supermarkets or tries to limit their parking within centres.
Couldn’t agree more. Take my local Countdown in highly-walkable Birkenhead. While the Mokoia Rd entrance from the south is ok, approaching from the east (buses), south or west forces you to walk on vehicle ramps through an unpleasant and poorly lit car park. And don’t get me started on the cycle facilities – there aren’t any! Even though a cyclist backpack and/or panniers can easily carry a few days of groceries. I wonder if modern supermarket design is any more enlightened?
Even the Metro supermarkets in the CBD – 100% walk-up catchment, assume you drive heaps as they give you fuel discount vouchers instead of, say, coffee vouchers or a discount on your groceries.
Actually a surprise positive standout is the recently opened Countdown Mt Roskill on the corner of Stoddard and Sandringham Roads. There is a bus stop (route 249) immediately outside the shop right by the entrance – no carpark to cross, not even needing a zebra crossing. I sometimes jump off a bus there, grab a bag or two of items, then continue home. Will do so tomorrow evening.
I designed that one from the traffic side – nice to see it isn’t the worst 😉
ya did good Max 🙂
With peak 249s coming every 10-15 mins, it times nicely with hopping off one bus, grabbing a bagful of groceries, and jumping back on the next bus.
With the easy bus-stop-to-front-door access, combined with an insulated reusable bag folded up in my backpack, the HOP “transfer discount” or a monthly pass, short or no queues at the self-scan checkouts, and using realtime on the phone to keep an eye on when the following bus is coming, it’s really convenient.
But yeah, I still end up with a pile of supermarket fuel vouchers of which most end up expiring unused.
I’m looking at you, Countdown Quay Street *grumbles*
I reckon. That must be the stupidest supermarket design ever. Especially the rubbish link to the Britomart precinct.
Concur
Scene lane is a big jumbly mess. I like the planters next to the Brittomart carpark, but the wierd retail and club space really confuses me.
The Metro supermarkets are their most profitable per square, and the only one without the vast carparks… there you go. Yet both supermarket chains submitted in favour of parking minimums in UP process…. just goes to show that these business are slow to adapt.
Or they are unfairly maintaining a market advantage by limiting competitors (small) from entering the market?
The Pak’n’save Mt Albert refurb a few years ago brought it right out to the street – great to pop into. Both entrances have bike racks but the northern entrance at the top of stairs which is pretty silly – a ramp would be much better for strollers too.
I spend a good $100-$200 a week walk-up there.
What’s the most someone has done on foot or a bike trip? I did over $200 once at Vic Park on bike.
I’ve done over $100 walking at Countdown metro, 2 dozen tins as well. Was a bit of a workout.
By nature Supermarkets are low margin high volume businesses.
One factor in a successful Supermarket operation is to maintain tight control of overheads and a material portion of that is rent. Which is why you don’t tend to see Supermarkets in areas that have the highest $ per square metre of rental space. What you do see in the high rent cost areas is the more mid-range convenience stores that stock 80% of what a Supermarket stocks with around 1/5th of the floor space.
Given that Supermarkets can be a bit out of the way and require a large site it makes sense to have car dominated options for your customers as that will be the main source of transport. Of course Supermarkets will still attract the odd customer by other means and it could be a growth market for them. However the bloke buying 5 items isn’t going to keep the supermarket doors open and the bloke buying 5 items puts the supermarket in competition with a mid-size convenience store, diaries and petrol stations.
So in conclusion I don’t see things changing in the short term.
Those who walk or cycle actively subsidise those who drive. The costs of providing all of that parking are built into prices, and then there are the fuel discounts they give to customers who spend over a certain amount.
Infuriating! Just another of the hidden costs of supermarkets, I guess.
+100 exactly.
Except of course the only reason the supermarket exists is because of the much larger catchment in can trade with by having a carpark and good access. Without the carpark the supermarket wouldn’t exist and you would have a much smaller store charging higher prices to people from a much smaller catchment.
Except when you don’t, and you have large sized supermarkets with zero parking like on Victoria St, or relatively small amounts like on Quay St.
“the only reason the supermarket exists”. The ONLY reason? Don’t think so.
And a nice strawman argument there; I don’t see where anyone is stating “no carparks”?? There is only a request for better pedestrian access. That seems very reasonable.
I thought the petrol stations took the hit on the petrol price not the supermarket.
Adding to the list of Supermarkets that have got their walk in access right is New World Ohakune (street view here: https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-39.4175385,175.3990158,3a,75y,34.29h,84.63t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sYYBwrvaorMlezEJRmLGLig!2e0).
I bus to the supermarket 🙂
I think it would be better to have cycle racks real close in to the doors. Getting your groceries home from the supermarket by bike is a more practical option than carrying them all the way home hanging off your arms or on your back.
It’s interesting that the largest supermarket in the country has surprisingly good provision for pedestrians – the two covered walkways have pedestrian crossings connecting to Lincoln Rd, there is a set of pedestrian lights on Universal Dr (right next to an unused bus stop), and there is a cycle lane down part of Universal Dr.
Although the bus stops on Lincoln Rd are only a shortish walk (200m), the only local (Ranui/Swanson) bus that goes past is the 13X, all the others go to Henderson via Pomaria, forcing a 600m walk. Which means a 5 minute drive to the supermarket becomes a 20-40 minute bus ride. 🙁
On the positive side, if I need a pint of milk, I can hop off the train at Henderson and get it from the Westcity Countdown. 🙂
http://goo.gl/maps/PB78F
Walk to a supermarket pretty much daily primarily for the exercise. The New Lynn New World (4.5 km walk and a train back) is probably the worst of the ones I use. Pedestrian utility is next to non-existent to the extent that local footpaths have been cut off in the public space surrounding the store. Despite being 150m from the New Lynn train station/bus interchange, it’s moated behind the traffic sewer known as Clark Street and marooned in a sea of car storage spaces. It can take around 2 minutes for a pedestrian phase to appear at signalised intersections in the vicinity (cars have absolute priority because it’s an AT designed arterial). The stupid thing is that, with a little forethought it could have accessed a far larger, non-car, catchment but, I guess, supermarket management (like that of AT) is still resolutely committed to a suburban mindset. Pity.
New World, Victoria Park is pretty good for pedestrian access.
I don’t go near Countdown on Quay Street as it’s horrible for pedestrian access. This is despite the fact it is full of backpackers, who don’t have cars and also full of residents from nearby apartments
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