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We got doorstopped by a Milkman a few years back, had an open backed transit van idling at the top of the road whilst he knocks on all 20 flats doors.

Then he didn't bother to ever return with what we signed up for.

Wait....what....the f**k happened to the milkman?

I get my oat milk from the milkman.

Wait....what....the f**k happened to the milkman?

milkandmore.co.uk

Also Thatcher. Probably.

My sister even gets bags of compost from milkandmore! As well as milk, juice, yoghurt etc. Round here I've heard delivery can be erratic and there are problems with it getting nicked off the doorstep. (Haven't tried it myself, coop's just round the corner.)

Isn't it better for one delivery van to visit to multiple households than have each of those households drive to the supermarket individually though?

Have a look at the distances those vans have to travel. Many come from very few large distribution centres on the edge of London. Even if they came from a more nearby supermarket, they would still be undercutting independent local shops. They don't actually carry that much stuff, either. While large supermarkets, especially out-of-town ones, are already totally unsustainable, delivering shopping individually is even more so.

Also, while I'm sure in some areas most people drive to the supermarket, you'd be surprised how many people, especially in London, walk and cycle there. Driving always makes a lot of noise and wastes a lot of space and attracts all the attention, and as above, if you put a couple of hundred car parking spaces next to a supermarket, it's a sustainability disaster, but that's not the whole story. I don't like 'retail parks', but one of the interesting things about them is that they're generally built entirely for driving there, and people still walk and cycle. They get built as fenced-off estates with one entrance or a couple of entrances for drivers, which are not usually convenient for people from the surrounding area, as they mostly connect to the local major road/dual carriageway network. This means that people make their own entrances. Someone actually cuts the fence where it's more convenient/direct for people to enter on foot or by bike. And these typically don't get repaired, as I assume the management know that if they put a new fence up, it would only get cut again. So they're left and become unofficial and quite busy entrances.

Kind of like couriers. Amazon, DPD, DHL, Hermes, UPS etc will all visit my street on the same day. It would be better if a single organization did all the houses.

Just why hasn't anyone thought of that before?

I get my looks from the milkman

🥴

My mum does always get up early to take his goods in person.

Someone actually cuts the fence where it's more convenient/direct for people to enter on foot or by bike. And these typically don't get repaired, as I assume the management know that if they put a new fence up, it would only get cut again. So they're left and become unofficial and quite busy entrances.

Here is an example Oliver. The entrance and exit road to and from the retail outlets is designed for vehicles - there is no footpath for pedestrians and its a long way round from and to the bus stop.
But its a tricky slope when laden with shopping hence ...

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Ah, cheers. Where is that (can't read the bus stop flag)?

I've found quite a few, but most of them don't show up on StreetView. Here's one that does, at Gateway Retail Park in Beckton:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5224247,0.0653761,3a,39.5y,162.67h,87.59t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sENF88sYNe_OYj69Wmti4qQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DENF88sYNe_OYj69Wmti4qQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D55.827744%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

The fence that's been destroyed separates a footpath that I don't think is part of the retail park from the A13, but then people also made a path through what used to be continuous shrubbery. With some thought, they could easily have worked out that this would be a pedestrian desire line, but nobody spent any time on it.

Bugsbys Way SE7.

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Looks like Charlton, I cycle there but for walking it's a disaster.

and here ends the pedestrian footpath ...

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The opposite side by the McDonald's is even worse, just to continue along the road you have to follow the twisty section and cross busy feeder roads multiple times.

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Ah, cheers. Where is that (can't read the bus stop flag)?

Bugsby's Way, Charlton.

The Wickes in the background is now a Home Bargains, so people are even more likely to cut down that slope to the bus stop

Ha, I actually went there a few months ago because I wanted to have a look at this immense accretion of bad development. It did look familiar, in the way boring and uniform rubbish can look familiar. I rode out of 'Peninsular Park Road' (but didn't know it was called that) just opposite but had to cross on foot because there's no right turn.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4900382,0.0219415,3a,85.7y,349h,94.87t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syveNBdV-he9xqBHooEmyjQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It is, horrible design, unless you’re in a car.

The whole area is not a happy place at the moment - frequently gridlocked (my neighbour got an 'overstayed allowed parking time' ticket whilst trying to get back out of the car park onto the main road - sob ).

Huge footpaths and cycle lanes that are hardly used and 'tick box' cycle stands - ( empty ) .

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horrible design, unless you’re in a car.

It's horrendous if you're in a car. I have no idea why people drive there.

It must be horrible in a car too, everything stands still in busy times all around those parking areas. On the bike you at least keep moving.

I have no idea why people drive there

The sort of 'shops' e.g. B&Q / Ikea is a clue I suppose.

Weirdly not too bad in a car really, especially when people grew up getting used to driving into retail park whose car parks are bigger than the actual building

Editing out because I’ve been sharing too much personal stuff online.

what....the f**k happened to the milkman?

The milk got too warm on the float so didn't last very well.

News from 1975, milk was ‘compulsory’ at school (in Engerlandland - well at my several schools) and it was always rank as the milchmang left it in the sun and I refused it being it smelled rank and tasted gross. Came in little quarter pint bottles. And birds used to drink from milk bottles first.
Electric milk floats great.
Milk. Vommmmm