Looks like you had a really good light rail system up until the late '70s?

https://allcolumbusdata.com/rail-transportation-history/

I'm assuming Judge Doom got involved at that point and paved over the lines

Aren't trams, trains and bikes technology?

I mean if you can walk to the grocery store in a reasonable amount of time you'll be able to divide those groceries over multiple visits and not have to deal with this.

There's a big difference between what's "comfortable to carry back by hand" and "what's feasible to carry to a bus stop 100 metres outside the store, and then 400 metres from where the bus drops you off to your home". That's if we're assuming a situation where you did drive to the store, planning to drive home, but an emergency means you can't drive the return leg.

But also, if you do have good public transport, it becomes much easier to adjust your schedule to more frequent, smaller shops, where it's not just feasible but easy to carry the groceries. Or in a good city for cycling, to drop the groceries in your paniers, basket, or even full-on cargo bike.

Nobody in NYC can buy groceries because they don't have cars. Cars are the only way to get groceries home.

Sure. It's definitely that, and not that most North American cities are designed expressly to force you to drive even if you want a single cup of coffee or a sandwich or something.

Pffft. Amateur. Everyone knows if you can't carry every bag you bought in one trip you are a failure.

Fair enough. Of course with public transit you could send some of you home with some of the goods while one person waits for the tow truck.

I did, it was a lovely little story about how the kid thought OP was a lot younger than she actually is, I think

My point is that this entire situation is a massive systemic failure. You shouldn't have to find yourself in a situation where your car breaking down means you're stuck at the grocery store with no way to get home unless someone deigns to come and get you -- hell, you shouldn't even need to drive to get groceries, any well-designed city would have multiple grocery stores within a few blocks regardless of where you live, and a dense public transit network and/or cycling infrastructure so you can get to the ones that are farther away.

Your car will not break down, if you just walk to the grocery store.