How far do you go......? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

How far do you go......?

Staysfit

Veteran

Some recent posts about high-low have me thinking about convenience shopping. I realized today that because I am a parent of two autistic children, and I work full time, as does my husband, we have structured our lives in a way as to make it most efficient to be home and available for children. That means our shopping destinations are close, no more than 10-15 minutes away. We structure shopping trips so we go infrequently. We have a large pantry for groceries. We pick up fresh veggies weekly either from the CSA locally, or a local grocer, which luckily for us is Wegmans, and stock up on staples at Sams Club. For clothing, there is a large mall, but they have very little for tall people so we mostly shop online.

There are outlet malls, and of course there are other stores that are further afield, but we rarely go to them. For example there is a Costco 45 minutes away. There is a Target and Kohls 25 minutes away.

How about you? How far do you go to shop? What are your shopping habits and why?

General

45 replies

Latest reply was from Staysfit

Anonymous

I will occasionally go about 30-40 minutes if I plan it out. I keep those trips to a minimum, in part because there aren't enough stores I really like there to justify the extra time. More often it's my nearest mall, which is 10-15 minutes away. That one is nearby to other obligations I have on a frequent basis. If I am traveling and nearby stores I can't access locally, I will try to avail myself if time permits. I find less to like in malls than I used to.

There is an outlet mall an hour or more away. This reminds me I want to go there

Otherwise, it's online shopping for me. I also sometimes order tall sizes that wouldn't be available in person anyway. More product and easier perusal for me online, but a lower success rate for sure. I notice I pick out different things online vs in person.

For other shopping, I keep it to nearby solutions. 10-15 minutes away max, some closer than that.

Runcarla

Veteran

25 years lived in a community of around 40,000 and now in a little town of around 17,000 everything has been pretty close, but choice may be limited. Grocery shopping in both cases was less than 5 minutes and walkable if I wasn't provisioning for the ravening hordes! Done weekly, usually with a Thurday supplemental.

Clothing is limited to standard chains like Walmart (which I don't frequent), Sears, Winners, Sports Check, Smart Set, etc in malls 10-15 minutes drive, and one or two independent downtown boutiques walkable from home.

I work in the Big City, and sometimes shop during lunch hour. I have access to very wide ranging choice, but am limited by time.

DH and I usually take a mini vacation twice a year just to replenish our wardrobes and do a steady 2-4 days of shopping with lists in hand.

We are B&M shoppers and rarely order online.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Local shops are a 5 minute walk, it is an hour on the train to Edinburgh. I only shop in Edinburgh a couple of times a year though. I'm more likely to make the journey for leisure.

I do like to shop on line, I have s preference for Scandi mid priced labels which I try to pick up on sale.

em

By reading the title of your post I thought that this was going to be a question on sexual habits....Ahem.

I live north of Baltimore where there is nothing. Or rather, nothing that meets my standards. There is a Nordies, but it is small. The bigger Nordies is just over an hour away and I figure at that point I should just get on a train and in 2.5 hours be in NYC. So that's what I do at least once a year, where I buy lingerie.

Shoes are mostly via zappos. Food is local, particularly in the summer, as we live in farm country and guess what? Farmer stands galore. There is a grocery store a mile away, but I don't like it for real food. I prefer Wegmans, which is a 20 minute easy drive. Plus, it is next to a small Sephora.

BrieN

Veteran

Grocery is about 4 miles away by car. Farmers markets travel around on a schedule, but are generally nearby the groceries 5-15 min away.

We combine trips to the outdoor shopping center, about 25 min away, with the trip to Whole Foods and REI, but for some reason I am typically just returning things I've purchased online. This is where the Rack is located for me.

The indoor mall is about 15 minutes away and I have been going there about 5x a month recently since I started at YLF - that includes shopping and returning (and shopping for my DD's). It includes Nordstrom and other bigger retailers. That seems like a lot of trips to the Mall!!

The outlet malls are about an hour away - we have two whole complexes nearby in opposite directions, but I never shop there for clothing. One outlet has a Pottery Barn which has been a destination for us from time to time when outfitting a bedroom or other.

Cococat

Veteran

I work long hours 5 days a week and have a 1 1/2 hour commute so I try to do grocery shopping as an add on when I spend time with my mum and sis on Saturdays. Mum likes to browse shopping malls around our city and have lunch together so it works in well. Otherwise I grocery shop online. I really dislike grocery shopping so I hate wasting precious time on it.

The bad thing about Saturday's at the mall is that I get tempted to buy things that I don't need. I wish I was better at saying no to myself. I do like to shop on overseas travels and I occasionally shop for clothes online, but not so much now. If I want something special, I go to a large open air shopping centre about 20 minutes drive from work and on the way home. It has everything, high end, low end and everything in between.

Sundays are always saved for hula and time at home with DH.

Ginger

Veteran

Hmm. Shopping is hard for me to resist. There are 4 malls within 30 minutes of me, plus 4 other non-mall major retail store areas. An outlet mall is 40 minutes away. Often I'll end up spending 4-6 hours out, because I have to make a lot of stops, and somehow end up clothes shopping as well. Partly this is because all of these selections are in different directions from my house; I do need to plan where I'm going and what errands I can knock out while I'm in that area. I rarely shop in the evenings; usually it's a non-working Friday or a Saturday, and occasionally a Sunday afternoon.

Groceries are different. I get groceries once every two weeks because it's important that I can go during "regular" working hours for the least hassle and crowd. And first pick at the day-old bread rack.

kimlee

Veteran

I live in small agricultural community in Southeast Georgia, so I have to do a bit a driving to accomplish any shopping. Since I live outside the town on our family farm, a quick trip to the local grocery store is a 15 minute drive both ways. We have a few local shops for clothing but my luck in finding peices there is always hit or miss, so I have to travel at least half an hour to visit a mall - and even then my choices are limited to just 2 major department stores JC Penney's/ Belks. If I want to hit retail stores such as JCrew, Ann Taylor, Nordstroms, etc. it's at least a 2 hour drive.

In terms of my shopping habits, we buy groceries once a week - usually Fridays as I work from a clinic in our town, so I can pick them up on my out of town. Clothing purchases tend to either happen online, or when I travel for work (once a month I am in a much larger city, so I can hit the major retailers I listed above). Then once a year during our anniversary getaway, the husband and I do a MAJOR shopping trip to restock and refresh our wardrobes.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

We live in a small city, right downtown, where it's possible to walk to get most everything. We buy our veggies from two CSAs (seasonally, at least...you know my climate is like yours!) and pick those up around the corner once a week in spring/ summer/ fall. There's a butcher, bakery, regular grocery store all in walking distance. A wine store. A place to buy coffee. Bookstore and library, post office, drug stores, banks, restaurants, cafés, farmer's market for other comestibles. You get the picture.

But. Clothing stores? Ummm. Not so much. Downtown there are a few boutiques but they rarely carry anything in my size or to my taste. I do sometimes pop in and scout the wares, but rarely come home with anything and when I do, it is usually a disappointment. In fact, I've made my worst shopping mistakes in those boutiques. Why? Because I felt pressured/ guilty about browsing/ not spending. And the return policies are abysmal. So.

There's also a GAP and a good gear/sports store or two. As well as some decent shoe stores.

But that's it. If I drive for about 20 minutes there's Winner's (like TJ Maxx), Old Navy, the Bay (a terrible one), H&M and a few other chain stores.

The result? I do virtually all my clothing shopping online now, and supplement with two or three "city" trips per year either in Toronto, Montreal, or New York (or some combination of these).

rachylou

Veteran

Wow. I just realized how complicated shopping is in my area. There's a lot available but traffic/parking is nightmarish.

I basically live weekly life within a 5-mile drive radius. Grocery, hardware store, Petco, Ross, and DB shoes. This is a four hour outing.

I live daily life in a 1-mile walking radius. $5 milk and $200 dress territory. This is an hour or so outing.

10 miles to the city or 30 to the suburbs are the department stores and outlets. Kohls to Nieman's and Nordstrom. These are equivalent epic treks because of the logistics.

Back in the five-mile zone are H&M, Uniqlo, Barnes & Noble, Banana Republic and so forth. And also chichi shopping like Agnes B. And Target and IKEA. I do a fair amount of one-store hit ups, plus a milk and bread stop, in this zone. Keep it to two hours away from home.

El Cee

Veteran

My husband and I live in a fairly large town and are less than an hour away from two sizable cities. As far as food shopping is concerned -- We have three decent sized grocery stores within a 15 minute drive from home. [Alas, there is no Wegman's near us. ] We also have plenty of places nearby to get fresh, local produce -- farmer's markets, farm stands, and some local orchards. We also frequently utilize a grocery delivery service (Peapod) as a timesaver. And we have a BJ's that is 25 minutes away. We go there about every 2 months to stock up.

Shopping for clothing and shoes is another story. We are both very tall and have larger than average feet. Although we have a number of malls, shopping centers and discount stores within a reasonable drive of our house, the brick and mortar shops rarely have our sizes available. We do much better when we shop online.

Anonymous

All stores I care to do business with are within 15 minutes of my house.

Meredith

Veteran

Living near the center of a small city I can get about anywhere in 10 or 15 minutes. Our chain stores have very limited stock so I'd like to try making a long shopping list this fall and taking a day trip to the bigger city (about 3 hours away).

JAileen

Veteran

Everthing in this town is within a twenty minute drive. We are very spoiled by our accessibility. But if I wanted to go to Nordstrom, it's a two hour drive over a mountain pass. We have a fairly new mall that is eleven miles away. I rarely go there because it's so far away. Even then, it's only a twenty minute drive. Last night I went to Kohl's to look for some housedresses for my mother for her recuperation. It was about a ten minute drive.

When I visited my mother last week in the SF Bay Area, there was a lot of traffic. The day I drove home, I had to leave by 10 am to avoid traffic for a Nascar race.

shedev

Veteran

I have 4 malls within 20-30 minutes drive, but they sell little of my style. Most of my stuff comes in the mail, but I do like to look.

Anonymous

I live in a fairly big city - well, for Canada anyways - and everything I actually need on a regular basis is right at hand. The one good big mall is a 6 minute drive . There is nothing to drive to within any kind of reasonable distance that is any bigger so I don't shop anywhere outside of my area unless I'm travelling on business. For a large-ish city though, the clothing shopping is not great : all mall chain stores, and the boutiques tend to cater to a younger consumer, a very high end consumer, or one with look I don't relate to at all. Sorry - I'm venting as I feel like I am bored with my clothes and can't find anything to buy for summer to perk things up. I don't shop on-line for various reasons, but realize I could have a far more interesting wardrobe if I did.

AviaMariah

Veteran

I live in a very small town 60 miles outside of a large city. DH and I both work full time and we have a 3.5 and 1.5 year old kids. We have a small grocery store in town where I get basics and we go to a big grocery store and/or Costco once, sometimes twice, a month. So I really stock up on frozen and canned goods and rely on the local grocery for dairy etc. Luckily we have a lady that brings in all the local fresh fruit and veggies once a week during the summer. This is a lifesaver as I can't live without fresh goodies but would otherwise have to travel to get the good stuff. As far as clothes shopping, I do 95% of that online. Shopping and small children aren't the best combo and I try to spend as much of my free time as possible with them. When I do shop in a BM store it's almost always Nordstroms since that is the most consistent for me. There is also a BR, WHBM, GAP and Athleta close to Nordstroms that I will pop into if I have time. But that only happens every three months or so.

Anonymous

I mostly shop online, even for groceries. Driving is something that's low on my list of enjoyable activities. I keep those delivery people real busy!

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I'm in the Chi we have thrifts everywhere. I have cut down drastically on my thrifting and shopping. I have what I want excluding wadrobe holes. Tank tops and sandals. I would travel anywhere for something I love.

Diana

Veteran

I live in the city so I have access to most things within a quick walk or drive. There is a commercial area with shops like Gap, Anthro, Ann Taylor, etc, plus bookstores, coffee, restaurants, etc about a 10 minute walk from my house and it's directly on my way home from work. The closest grocery is about a 5-10 min drive or 20 minute walk, but we sometimes go to ones a little farther afield - we do a big grocery shop once a week but we both enjoy it so will sometimes go to further stores for fun. The farm stand we like is about a 20 minute drive and in a nice area so we'll go there with some regularity.

Downtown shopping and malls are about a 30 minute subway ride (or a short detour on my commute home). I don't go that often though. Maybe twice a month, sometimes just to browse for an hour or so. I'll occasionally stop by one of the suburban malls (maybe 20-30 min drive) if we have other things to do in the area but will rarely make the trip out there solely for that purpose.

Before I got married to someone who drives (I don't) I did all my shopping and errands by foot or public transit. It's very possible living where I do and there's always online shopping for the rest of it. I am very much a city dweller. The concept of having to drive an hour to go to the mall is very foreign and rather scary to me.

Anonymous

I have a really tight, efficient errand route. Within a total of six miles round trip, I can hit the grocery store, the dry cleaner, the bank, the gym, a Walmart, post office, take out restaurants. I do an errand circuit once a week. The goal is efficiency. I am not a browser. I am in and out.

If I am interested in shopping at a mall, I have two very good malls literally half way between work and home. If interested in something, I can stop on my way home after work. Of course, I might be tired so shopping is once again purposeful, not recreational. Tight, efficient.

The system seems to work for me. Of course, I have friends that are recreational shoppers. They like to go to the mall for no purpose other than "to look." They have driven 75 miles or more to get to outlet malls. It is a hobby for them and I accompany them on occasion. I don't do well at outlet malls. For some reason, I can't seem to buy without an explicit purpose or list. I get confused and my confusion leads to the inability to make a decision.

Windchime

Veteran

I'm fortunate to have several malls, an outlet mall, and many other stores including a Nordstrom Rack, within a few miles of my home. I like to peruse the Rack monthly; I go to one of the malls less often.

Once or twice a year, I plan a trip to Long Tall Sally, which specializes in tall sizes. There are two of them within a three hour drive from here. I always plan several other things to do on the LTS trip--visit a friend, go to a botanical garden or museum--and make it an overnight trip.

Since being a YLFer, I've added online shopping to my habits. I basically never used to shop online; now I buy from Nordstrom and also order tall lengths online from Banana Republic and a couple other retailers.

DonnaF

Veteran

As rachylou says, a lot depends of traffic. For clothing, pretty much every national chain can be reached within 20 minutes without traffic. But not every store has the best selection for that chain. I have maybe four Trader Joes within a reasonable distance but go to the one that's a ten minute (w/o traffic) drive. I also have a large independent grocer five minutes away and a Safeway three minutes away.

The only time I might hit the clothing stores is with DD22, and she's rarely around. If/when she gets married, I plan to leave no stone unturned to search for a MOB dress. Otherwise, 90% of my shopping is nordstrom.com.

Style Fan

Veteran

For the past 5 years we have lived in a small town with very limited shopping. The grocery shopping is very good and the liquor shopping is excellent. We are located in a tourist area so good food and wine are staples for cottagers. We also have an excellent Joe Fresh (a clothing line in a grocery store) that I have lucked out on this summer. There are also some boutiques on the main street that have some clothing that I sometimes like.
For clothes I usually wait until I am travelling to the big cities. Once a year we go to Montreal for a month, we go to Florida for a month and we periodically go to Toronto for weekends. Occasionally I go to some of the smaller cities in southwestern Ontario. When I am visiting these places I buy my clothes. Sometimes I shop online.
This is not an ideal way to shop for clothing but it is what I have been doing. Before I retired 5 years ago I lived in a decent size city with reasonable shopping. I shopped whenever I wanted.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I like to shop when I'm traveling - not at all destinations of course, but I find it's a good way to see a place and interact with people. I like stopping at outlet malls when I'm on a road trip or in a place for a few days, or trying to get to stores that I don't have easy access to at home.

Closer to home, there's probably one of everything within 50 miles of me but the traffic is the limiting factor. For in person clothes shopping I usually go to the two malls closest to me - one's just ten minutes away but doesn't have a Nordstrom or higher end stores, and one is twenty or so and much bigger (and crowded). Plus I usually end up driving the forty five minutes to an hour to my old town at least once a week for other reasons, so I can visit the stores there if I want. I occasionally make the big trek to San Francisco or the outlet mall in San Leandro but that's a once or twice a year event and an all day process.

Groceries and other typical errands tend to happen in an unorganized fashion, but I do try to do multiple things so in one area when I can. I've gotten spoiled by working at home and being able to go out in the middle of a weekday when places aren't so busy. We get veggies and eggs delivered to our house by a CSA every other week and several grocery chains nearby - Trader Joes and Whole Foods are the busiest and most crowded so I usually only go there once a month for items only they carry, and go to a local chain for everything else. I've been tempted by online grocery delivery, not because I dislike going to the store but because I always seem to get tempted into buying stuff I don't need.

Staysfit

Veteran

A majority of us regularly travel for no longer than 15 -20 minutes for shopping. That must be the magic time frame most people have arbitrarily decided they can spend idly driving or walking somewhere, (and of course back home again) for tasks like shopping.

It doesn't seem much different if we live in a city or rural area, although some people living in some cities have an shorter time frame.

Sal

Veteran

I do my food shopping within about a 10 minute drive of where I live at a mix of supermarket, produce store, butcher and specialty store. There are some shops I go to when in the area for something else (ie a cheese shop)

For clothes/homewares I shop mostly in the city where I live (population about 120,000 but with lots of small towns surrounding it). I shop at a traditional city centre, or a mall, or in suburban streets. I do shop online for some things - but I prefer not to.

I occasionally with head to a large city for shopping for a day, maybe once a year or every two years.

I tend to go with a purpose or two but then add in a browse at the end. I mostly shop alone because I am impatient and decisive - occasionally I will seek a second opinion but in the most part I prefer not to have people talking me into things I don't like.

Occasionally I shop on a holiday for a couple of hours but I rarely buy more than one or two items.

Kimberly

I drive about twenty-thirty minutes to one of two malls. I'm out there every weekend because they're near Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Costco, which is where I do my grocery shopping. There's a Target about ten minutes from me and a smaller mall with a JCP, Kohls, Dillards, and Marshalls right up the street. Sometimes, when my kids are climbing up the walls, I'll pile them into the car and drive an hour to the outlet mall. That's two hours of peace!

Runs With Scissors

Veteran

I live on the furthest outskirts of a very large, sprawling city. I used to live in the center of the city, and wow did my shopping habits change when I moved the 35 miles to the 'burbs! I used to shop at the mall (upscale, and about 6 miles away) a lot more, and online a lot less. We ate at restaurants a lot too, because there were so many good ones nearby.

Now, online is my first choice. I subscribe to toilet paper on Amazon -- 'nuff said. I have a 60 mile round trip daily commute, which my husband and I do together. The upside is that we get time to talk on the drive, but we don't want to spend time shopping on the weekdays -- our dogs are waiting for us at home, and we typically have more work to do from home too. The grocery stores near the office are better for us the suburban ones -- we don't like cooking, and the urban stores have more heat-and-eat stuff. So we do our grocery shopping on the way home from work once a week, typically Friday afternoon.

I am only 3 miles from a huge outlet mall, and should probably go more often than I do, but come the weekend I am loathe to get in the car if I can avoid it!

12