[D13Fd]

5 miles is a long walk. That’s at least 1 hour and 15 minutes for a very fast walker, and probably around 2 hours for a more typical walker.

Plus you have to walk back, with groceries. Assuming you are feeding a family and not doing this 2-4 hour round trip every day, that means you’ll need a cart to push or pull.

Good luck pushing that loaded cart on a road with any amount of traffic. Most places in the U.S. where the grocery store is 5 miles away will involve either zero sidewalks and dangerous roads (more rural/suburban areas), or many many road crossings with lights that slow you down (denser areas).

I’m a big fan of walking. But 5 miles to a grocery store and then back is going to be way too much and too dangerous for most people.

[e-dant]

It is an accomplishment in a healthy, pro-social environment.

[oblio]

It's still not practical. Humans just walk too slowly.

Let's be realistic here and accept the fact that anything that involves more than 1km of walking one way won't happen for 99% of people.

That's why we have bikes, for distances from 1km to 10-12km (one way).

And only after that should we have cars. Cars should also be reserved for very heavy loads (more than 50kg), groups of people (not single drivers, 2+ people in the car), and various other niche uses.

[calmbonsai]

But it's only a good judgment call if you have the available transit + shopping time, able body, suitable climate, and a single store that has everything you need.

If any of those conditions are not satisfied then it's better economic utility to outsource that entire task and get your exercise and socialization by going to the gym. You can even walk to the gym too. You can outsource almost anything except exercise.