We all have our reference commercial establishments to which we go to buy food or other consumables or materials for household use. Among them are supermarkets, where you can find almost everything. What makes us opt for one or the other is its range of products, although they are also supermarkets close to home, that have easy and close access.
The problem arises when we find ourselves in a different area from the one we usually move to. That happens to us when we are vacation or in another city because of a business trip or a visit for any other reason. Sometimes this can happen to us even when we are in the same city, although in a different neighborhood. And we are not only talking about supermarkets, but also about restaurants and other services. Obviously, in these situations it is logical to feel a little disoriented.
Finding a nearby supermarket might not be an easy task without resorting to the help of third parties (ie asking on the street, as has always been done) or technology. For this reason, in this post we are going to try to answer a question that we have probably all asked ourselves on more than one occasion: How know which supermarket exists near my location.
Find nearby supermarkets with Google Maps
Stopping someone on the street to ask where the nearest supermarket is doesn't always work. Sometimes, more than helping, they can confuse us. And it may also be the case that we do not feel like interacting with strangers. It doesn't matter. If we have an Internet connection, all the information we are looking for will be found in our mobile devices.
The best, fastest and simplest is to use the Google Maps app, an application that is always installed by default in almost any android mobile device. Of course, in order to use this functionality properly it is necessary that we have activated the Android function called Location, ie the Geolocation.
Once we have verified that the app is correctly installed and the location function activated, we can now proceed to run the search. These are the steps we must follow:
- First, we run the Google Maps app.
- In the search box we write the word "Supermarkets".
- Next, we press the search icon (the one with the magnifying glass).
- Then, in the list of Supermarkets that are marked on the map, select the one whose characteristics or description adapt to our current needs.
- Click on the button or link to obtain information about how to get there.
- To refine the search, we select the Transport method with which we have or are going to use.
- Finally, we click on the button or link Start.
In a matter of seconds, the screen that we must follow will appear on the screen in real time via GPS. All we have to do is follow her until we find the supermarket.
These are the Google Maps download links for both Android and iOS:
It is important to know that, when using the Google Maps mobile app, we are not only going to obtain information about the location and how to get to the nearest supermarket. In addition to that, we are going to receive many more interesting facts about the selected establishment: which chain it belongs to, what is its capacity, if it has parking and what type, hours, telephone number, website... In some cases, we can even view the positive or negative reviews about said Supermarket that other users have written.
Finally, if we are looking a supermarket of a particular chain, the simplest and most direct way to do it through Google Maps is to write the name of the company in the search bar next to the word Supermarket and, optionally, the name of the city or landmark in which you are located.
If you want to know a little more about the potential of Google Maps, we encourage you to explore the following link.
supermarket chain applications
Above we pointed out the possibility of finding out a supermarket of a specific chain. This is not something so strange, on the contrary, since almost everyone usually has a reference supermarket in which to make their purchases. Either because you are used to the quality of some of your products or because you are better oriented on your shelves and aisles. And also because of the loyalty programs, points and discounts that many supermarket brands offer.
So, if you want to remain faithful to your supermarket chain, the most practical thing is to use the apps of these brands. These are some of the most interesting:
Mercadona
There are several ways to find a Mercadona near me: consult it on its official website. To do this, we will use the search box that appears in the section «Find your nearest Mercadona and its opening hours». The mobile application will also be very helpful, not only to find stores, but to carry out all kinds of inquiries and operations, such as making purchases online.
The search option is very practical, taking into account that the chain has more than 1.600 supermarkets spread between Spain and Portugal.
Carrefour
Carrefour It is the largest supermarket and hypermarket chain in Spain after Mercadona. Your application has a geolocator that indicates the closest Carrefour hypermarket by calculating the initial position of the user. As is logical, the app has other utilities such as promotional announcements, list of offers, etc.
In Spain there are more than 1.000 Carrefour supermarkets including hypermarkets, Carrefour Express stores and other establishments.
Lidl
The German supermarket giant has not stopped growing in our country since its arrival in the mid-90s. Today it is the third brand in its segment, with hundreds of stores throughout the country. Among many other advantages, the application Lidl More It allows us to know where the Lidl closest to our location is located in real time.
One of its most popular functions is Lidl Pay, which allows us to pay for our purchases through our mobile phones in a faster and more comfortable way, taking advantage of all the offers and discounts.
DAY
El day group It has almost 3.800 establishments in Spain, so it is very possible that it is one of your reference supermarkets. Like other companies in the industry, it also offers a practical and simple app that allows us to make purchases online, subscribe to savings programs and create a shopping list, among other things.
To highlight its geolocation system that allows us to find the store or supermarket closest to us, easily and quickly.
To field
Like the other large supermarket chains on our list, also the Alcampo Group offers us, through its mobile application, a simple and practical way to find the nearest commercial establishment or supermarket. You simply have to remember to have geolocation activated on your device.
An interesting feature of the Alcampo supermarket search engine is that we can also use it to find the group's service stations.
Consum
If we ask ourselves the question of how to find nearby supermarkets, in the case of the Consum chain it is necessary to go to the app Consum World. There, in addition to many other functions, we will also find a simple map to locate the closest supermarket according to our location.
Eroski
And we close our list with Eroski, one of the most popular food chains in our country. As it could not be otherwise, it also includes the option to find the store that is closest to you, in a few steps, and also discover the products that are on sale there.
Eroski is a supermarket chain founded in the Basque Country in 1969 with a presence in almost the entire country.
Conclusion
Although we have only mentioned the most important supermarket chains, there are many others that offer the same service. All of these apps work in a pretty similar way., so when we have learned to use one, we will already know how to find supermarkets nearby with any other.
In any case, it must be emphasized that the best tool for this task is still Google Maps, as we indicated at the beginning of the post. And if we run out of data connection or WiFi access, we always have the possibility of overcoming shyness and returning to the old ways for someone on the street with the question: "Excuse me, could you tell me where the supermarket is?" closest?"
If we take into account the fact that in Spain there are more than 35.000 supermarkets*, it will be very difficult for us to be very far from one.
(*) Data taken from the latest report of the Spanish Association of Wholesale Distributors (AMEDA).