What day of the week are grocery stores best stocked

Q: What is the slowest day at the grocery store?

Thats when people are loading up on snacks, cold cuts and drinks. 6. Avoid weekends: Without a doubt, weekends are the busiest days to shop, with Saturday leading the list. Mondays and Tuesdays are the least busy but stores may be out of a lot of items, especially if sales start on Wednesday.

Know when to go to save time, money, and your sanity

Table of Contents Show

Know when to go to save time, money, and your sanity
To Beat the Crowds
To Get the Best Quality
To Get the Best Deals
To Get the Freshest Produce
To Beat the Holiday Rush
Make a list (and check it twice!)
Check those circulars
Read those labels
Stay COVID-safe
Try something new
What day do most stores restock?
What is the best day of the week to go to the grocery store?
What day is most popular for grocery shopping?
What is the slowest day at the grocery store?

Photo: Getty Images

I am one of those people who absolutely love going to the grocery store. Growing up, my dad and I had a father-daughter Sunday ritual of hitting up our local market together. We would each take a cart and meet up at the registers 30 minutes later, eager to share our finds. It might sound strange, but those grocery store trips were one of the highlights of my childhood.

My sentimental musings aside, I've spent a lot of time in grocery stores throughout my life. Over time, I've learned the best times to hit the market, depending on your objective. Read on to learn how to maximize your market experience, even if you don't share my passion for weekly food shopping.

To Beat the Crowds

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. Also, stay away on the weekends when people go to stock up for the week, or a few hours before a major sporting event (e.g., the Super Bowl).

To Get the Best Quality

Get to the store about an hour after opening—you'll catch the dairy, meat, and seafood sections right after they've been restocked, meaning you get first pick of the goods. Show up late and things tend to be picked over, leaving you with less-than-desirable options.

To Get the Best Deals

Many stores start deals on Wednesdays, making Wednesday morning a great time to get a bargain. But this depends on when your local grocery store releases its weekly ads. Do a little research and go that same day. You'll have your choice of all the new sale items before they're snatched up.

To Get the Freshest Produce

Talk to the store manager about when they get their produce delivered. Then time your shopping to coincide with the freshest arrivals.

To Beat the Holiday Rush

Most people think that the day before a holiday will be a mad rush at the store, but often it's two days before that the stores are slammed. Aim for three days ahead to avoid major lines and crowded aisles. For example, do your Thanksgiving shopping on Monday of that week, or even earlier if you can store the perishables properly at home.

Grocery shopping is a part of weekly (and often daily!) life for most Americans. But are you shopping like a pro? There are some simple strategies you can use to get in and out of the store quicker all while saving money and sticking to your nutritional goals.

We all know that going food shopping while hungry can lead to some bad nutritional choices that can cost you extra money and expand your waistline. (We see you, Cool Ranch Doritos.) But did you know that the time when you go shopping can also have a big impact on the shopping experience?

According to Google Maps data, Mondays at 8am is the least busy time to shop while Saturdays between 12-3pm is the busiest time (which makes sense since many people put off shopping until the weekend). Shopping at off-peak times will not only help you avoid the crowds, it will also give you more time to comparison shop, said Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of "Read It Before You Eat It - Taking You from Label to Table."

"I encourage people to comparison shop and look at the difference in cost and labels and how much you’re getting for the same price," she told TODAY Food. Going early in the morning may also help you get fresh picks, she said. "There may be an abundance of food, especially in the produce aisle. If you’re shopping for freshly prepared items they may run out if you shop later."

Google can provide you with the busiest and slowest times for shopping at different stores. Just enter your local store in the search bar and you'll get details on how busy the store is at that time and day.

Make a list (and check it twice!)

Do you envy people who can open their fridge to see it fully stocked with all items neatly stored (and no "science experiments" in old containers)? It is possible to achieve, with a little planning.

"Before grocery shopping each week, sit down with your calendar and map out your daily menus, taking into account your schedule," said Rachel Cuomo, RD, of Kiwi Nutrition Counseling. "You can then create your shopping list based on this. Everyone's nutritional goals are different but a good rule of thumb is shop the perimeter of the store, focus on vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, legumes and whole grains, and try to limit purchases in the processed food aisles and bakery section." Cuomo repeats that tried-and-true advice to never go grocery shopping while hungry. "Remember, it's easier to say no to cookies one time in the store rather than every time you open the kitchen pantry."

When shopping, be sure to stock up on pantry staples. And even if you're not into meal planning it still makes sense to get what you need for at least a few recipes you know you'll be making each week.

Taub-Dix has a genius hack for never forgetting an item and avoiding buying duplicates of what you already have at home: "Take a picture of your pantry before you go to the store," she said. "This way you can see what you already have."

Another strategy she likes is to map out the aisles of her regular grocery store and make a list aisle by aisle in order to shop more efficiently.

Check those circulars

Taub-Dix said it's always a great idea to check supermarket circulars for ways to save. Another idea is to buy items that are on sale in bulk. This works great for canned and frozen foods which will keep for a long time.

"When you buy frozen strawberries you’ll still get the same nutritional benefit," she said. Taub-Dix said that if you plan to buy in bulk at big box stores, just make sure you have a use for what you're purchasing.

"You may pay half the price for twice as much and then throw it out," she said.

"Shop seasonally and don't buy pre-cut or prepared foods," said Cuomo. "Skip organic for any foods with a hard exterior like pineapples and avocados."

Read those labels

Food labels can be difficult to decipher, and most people don't have the time or desire to stand in the store decoding labels.

"Try not to feel overwhelmed by the food labels," said Taub-Dix. "Think about what items on the label are relevant to you. If you have high blood pressure, check the sodium. If you have diabetes, pay attention to the sugar on the label. It’s good to know which parts of the label speak to you depending on your needs."

Stay COVID-safe

In addition to wearing your mask to the store and disinfecting your shopping cart with provided wipes, be sure to take advantage of special shopping hours if that applies to you.

"A lot of the stores have additional times for seniors to shop in the early morning," said Taub-Dix.

While it isn't essential to wipe down groceries once you get home, you should avoid touching products you don't plan to purchase, the CDC advises.

Use touchless forms of payment whenever possible and if you're at high-risk, try using online ordering or BOPIS (buy online pick up in store) options which many stores now have.

Try something new

One way to make your grocery shopping experience brighter is to get excited about new products. You can follow your favorite grocery stores on Instagram and many stores have a bulletin or newsletter, like Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, where you can see what's new and in season.

Time your food shop right, check for sales and stick to the list (for the most part!) and you'll find that food shopping can actually be a pleasurable experience!

Ronnie Koenig is a writer for TODAY.com, covering the food and pop culture beats. She also writes about health and wellness, parenting and relationships for NBC Better and TMRW x TODAY, serves as a senior editor for New Jersey Family, and contributes to The New York Times and Real Simple. She is a graduate of Barnard College and a mom of twins.

What day do most stores restock?

Most of the larger grocery store chains do enormous volumes of business, so they tend to restock every day. Since smaller grocery stores don't turn their inventory over as frequently, they often restock twice a week—usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. While this is typical, every store has its own schedule.

What is the best day of the week to go to the grocery store?

To save money on groceries, start shopping on Wednesdays. Fewer crowds, fully-stocked shelves and freshly delivered produce—welcome to any given Wednesday at a grocery store near you! This mid-week day is when to shop if you're looking to save money on groceries.

What day is most popular for grocery shopping?

The best time and day to go grocery shopping According to Google Maps data, Mondays at 8am is the least busy time to shop while Saturdays between 12-3pm is the busiest time (which makes sense since many people put off shopping until the weekend).

What is the slowest day at the grocery store?

That's when people are loading up on snacks, cold cuts and drinks. 6. Avoid weekends: Without a doubt, weekends are the busiest days to shop, with Saturday leading the list. Mondays and Tuesdays are the least busy but stores may be out of a lot of items, especially if sales start on Wednesday.