This Is the Best Time of Day to Grocery Shop (2024)

FAQs

This Is the Best Time of Day to Grocery Shop? ›

“You'll typically find grocery stores less crowded between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” he tells Money Talks News.

The best bet is to get to the market early, as soon as it opens, or late, right before it closes. You'll zip through the aisles and check out with practically no one to slow you down. During the week, avoid visiting between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., when most people get off work and head to the store.

When is the best time of day to do your food shopping? If you want to try and nab yourself a bargain, the best times to go are either first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening. As Mr Price says, that's when items might be marked down from the night before, or ahead of the next morning.

Super early in the morning or really late at night are the best times of any day to shop. Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, you'll find most stores are nearly empty if you go first thing or near closing time.

More reasons to shop on a Wednesday

Shopping at Whole Foods on hump day won't just give you more opportunities to save money, it can also offer you fresher ingredients. In addition to the chain updating its sales on this day of the week, Whole Foods also prepares its prepackaged food and pre-cut veggies on Wednesdays.

If you want to maximize the chances of paying low prices at the grocery store, shopping mid-week may be the way to go. Specifically, many experts advise shopping on Wednesday and Thursday.

Best: Tuesday

If you can't accomplish grocery shopping over the weekend and wish to avoid wild Wednesdays, it may be worth it to try Tuesday on for size. Tuesday around 9 a.m. is often the quietest grocery hour you'll experience during the week.

Don't shop on an empty stomach.

This can lead to impulsive purchases because you're hungry.

The Best Day to Shop at Walmart

Stores are generally busiest in the late morning and early afternoon, so it's better to go in the evening after most customers have finished their weekend shopping. “It depends if you like to shop when it's crowded, or almost empty. Go early as soon as they open so it's less crowded.

The Habit-Breaker: Shop during non-peak hours.

If you have the time to shop during the week, try a less busy day like Monday or Tuesday. And go before 4 p.m. or after dinner to avoid the after-work crowd.

Which day is best to buy clothes? ›

Thursday Evenings

If you want to beat the rush and get to those sales items first, Thursday night's a great time for bargain shoppers to hit the malls. You won't have to compete for the bargains like you would during the busy weekend either.

“The best day to go to the mall for the best sales is Thursday,” says Ryan. “Retailers know that the weekends are their busiest times, so they usually will release their sales on Thursday.” That means you won't only get the best price on clothing—you'll also get the biggest selection.

Instead, Saturday was the top-ranked shopping day for five of the 12 weeks since stay-at-home orders began, while Friday and Sunday each had the most spend for four of these weeks. The other four days also saw increases.

In fact, Wednesday (at least in North America) is the best day to head to the grocery store. Stretching your precious minutes is just as important as stretching that dollar, and shopping on Wednesdays can help you tick both boxes. Plus, you'll enjoy the process and your selections a whole lot more!

There are no standard days for when stores of this size restock; one store may supply its shelves on Mondays and Thursdays, while another restocks on Tuesdays and Fridays. Restocking days for small grocery stores are not set in stone. Stores gauge the demand from customers and adjust accordingly.

If you want to catch the cheapest deals on groceries, the secret is to shop on Wednesdays. I talked to registered dietician Emily Woody and nutritionist and meal prep expert Eleesha Lockett to get their insight on why Wednesdays are billed as the all-around best days to shop for groceries — here's what they had to say.

Aim for Weekly

“I always recommend to my clients to check out the weekly sales, and they can meal plan around those items,” she said. “Not only will you save money for the meals that week, but you can plan ahead, and stock up and save.”

Both employees and shoppers on Quora agree that Sunday is typically the best day of the week to shop at Walmart, regardless of location.

Having a big weekly shop is the most useful plan on average. You can be organised by planning your meals and creating a shopping list in advance. This can help you avoid forgetting items or buying unnecessary items.