Which Day Is Best For Grocery Shopping?

Overcrowded grocery stores are every shopper’s nightmare. It is obvious that some days see fewer customers than others. To avoid crowds, schedule your visits wisely. This guide will reveal the best days and time for comfortable shopping, so you can buy groceries at your own pace. 

Sometimes, you feel as if everyone decides to go shopping at the same time. This is especially upsetting when you hunt for bargains. Discounts are easy to follow online. For example, Dollar General sales ad usually comes out before the week starts. Does this mean the best time for a shopping spree is Monday morning? Let’s find out. 

From Monday to Thursday

Generally, US stores see the largest number of shoppers from Friday to Sunday. Hence, this four-day period is the best time to buy groceries. The key condition is that you choose either morning or noon. There are several reasons.

First, most people work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you have a flexible schedule, you have the advantage of free-roaming, as the aisles are largely empty. Stores become crowded again after 5 p.m. Thus, go either early or very late. Early birds and night owls can find most stores without customers. An important advantage of early-morning visits is access to fully stocked shelves.

When to Go Shopping

So, which day is the best within the Monday-Thursday period? Wednesday is the ultimate winner, especially in the morning. The hump day is when most of us feel positive, as Friday is approaching. However, it is also the best choice for shopping. For instance, you can follow Kroger deals online and snatch the juiciest grocery offers on Wednesday morning. 

Wednesday is when old deals are still available while new ones are only starting. In the early hours, the shelves will also be fully stocked. Overall, you can find everything you need at good prices. Both pastry and deli products are the tastiest, as they are still fresh. Finally, there are very few customers.

From Friday to Sunday

Generally, the worst time to go shopping is evening throughout the week, or noon on the weekends. First, people with 9-to-5 jobs may pop into a store after work. Many of them buy last-minute ingredients for dinner. Usually, hectic activity begins around 4 p.m. 

Weekends are when many families buy their week’s worth of food. Thus, steer clear of stores at noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Either go early or wait until the evening. This is when most consumers are sleeping or going out. Most importantly, never go shopping on the most terrible day.

The Worst Day for Shopping

So, is Sunday worse than Saturday or vice versa? According to consumer research, most people choose Saturday as their biggest shopping day. The Time Use Institute estimates that as many as 41 million U.S. residents tend to stock up on groceries on Saturdays. If you want to do your shopping in a comfortable atmosphere, avoid Saturday at all costs. 

How to Schedule Your Shopping 

We all like to do our shopping without haste or strangers to navigate around. Wednesday mornings are when you are the least likely to encounter crowds. Go early in the morning to snatch both old and new deals available. Shelves are newly stocked, while products in the deli and the bakery are the freshest.

If your schedule does not allow it, consider going in the morning on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. These time slots also see few customers. Finally, if you absolutely cannot avoid shopping on the weekend, choose Sunday over Saturday. The latter is the absolute worst.