The Best and Worst Times to Go Grocery Shopping, Proven By Science
Author: Nick
Category: Money
Topics: deals, food, frugality
Over the course of the last several months, I’ve been conducting an informal study on when the best time is to go grocery shopping. The purpose of this study was to determine exactly when one should go grocery shopping in order to obtain the best combination of fresh produce, smaller crowds, fast service, and cheaper prices.
In order to make this a genuine, science-y study, we decided to make the comparisons between shopping trips as standardized as possible. So for each time period, our crack team of scientists (i.e. they were on crack at the time) went to a series of grocery stores and purchased the same five items at each location:
- A gallon of milk
- A loaf of bread
- A roll of toilet paper
- Five red delicious apples
- The trashiest news tabloid available
Today, the Punny Money Analytical Institute of Lasers and Mathematics is proud to announce the results of this study. Here is a sample of the results broken down by time of experiment.
Tuesday at 6pm
Tuesday at 6pm was determined to be the worst possible time to enter a grocery store due to a variety of factors. Tuesday evening appeared to be a popular time for homemakers to give cooking dinner from scratch the one-finger salute and instead opt for a trip to the nearby grocery store’s hot food bar.
Upon arrival at the grocery store, our scientists discovered that parking spaces were a rarity—scooped up by rabid soccer moms and agitated businessmen within 2/10ths of a second of becoming available. Three scientists and one Nissan Sentra received minor injuries on one trip during this testing period.
Inside the store was no better; check-out lines often extended back into the shopping aisles, making it difficult to locate and obtain the toilet paper and magazine. However, most fresh items were still relatively fresh, and dishes at the hot food bar were being continuously replenished.
Average Shopping and Checkout Time: 24 minutes
Average Checkout Price: $15.37
Average Product Quality: Fairly good, though most news tabloids were previously leafed through by customers waiting in long lines.
Pros: Hot foods were freshly made. Several dinnertime meal specials were available.
Cons: That bitch who had 14 items in the 10-item-or-less lane. Who does she think she is?
Thursday at 2pm
Most grocery stores were discovered to be eerily empty at 2pm on any given weekday other than Friday. Our scientists determined that this may be due to people who have real jobs (unlike grocery store scientists) typically are at work at 2pm on a weekday afternoon. The only exception to this rule proved to be people who work at grocery stores, as not only were the stores devoid of most customers, but it was pretty damn hard to find more than one employee in the whole place. This resulted in seven times the normal wait for assistance in locating hard-to-find items.
In some instances, as few as half a dozen customers in a store at 2pm proved to be overwhelming to the lonesome store clerk, sometimes resulting in multiple customers being queued in the only open checkout line for 15 minutes or longer. The typical customer shopping at this time was an 80-year-old woman doing her shopping for the next 5 years and paying by personal check.
At the same time, shopping aisles were easy to navigate, and most fresh items were still fresh from being stocked earlier in the morning. If anything, selecting the trashiest tabloid available was difficult because many new ones had just arrived at the stores only hours earlier.
Average Shopping and Checkout Time: 26 minutes
Average Checkout Price: $16.08
Average Product Quality: Decent, though that one old lady must have molested every apple on the stand before deciding to get oranges instead.
Pros: Empty store. Great time and place to have a laser tag fight if you could manage it.
Cons: Most of the store staff was likely in the back room watching soap operas.
Friday at 1am
Just 11 hours after the Thursday afternoon shopping excursion proved enough to produce an entirely different shopping experience. Of the grocery stores involved in this experiment, only two were open this late (24 hours a day, in both cases), so the results only take into account averages from those two stores.
Weekday late-nights proved to be just as futile a venture for those requiring customer assistance as shopping on a weekday afternoon but for entirely different reasons. That’s because late-night grocery stores are typically manned by stoned teenagers. In fact, in one instance, our grocery scientists determined that they could have walked out of the store without paying even after loudly announcing “I am stealing all of the items in my cart” within three feet of several checkout clerks, all of whom were busy gazing pensively into the lasers of their checkout scanners.
There was no such item as “fresh” food at 1am on a weekday night. After all, most stores restock later on in the morning, so pretty much everything had been sitting out for at least 20 hours at that point. Most produce shelves were bare, save for a handful of midget unripened bananas and bruised apples. The only available milk gallons typically expired within the next 3-6 days instead of the usual 10-12 days. And for some inexplicable reason, the toilet paper just wasn’t as soft as it is during the day. For this reason, several more marked-down items were usually available.
Fortunately the shopping aisles were all but deserted, and the stoned teenagers had some sort of pre-programmed, almost robotic ability to scan items twice as fast as normal.
Average Shopping and Checkout Time: 10 minutes
Average Checkout Price: $14.97 (or zero, if they’d gone through with it)
Average Product Quality: Miserable. The oranges were, in fact, browns.
Pros: A lightning-fast shopping experience.
Cons: Produce you wouldn’t feed a hobo. Plus, it’s one in the freaking morning and everyone else with any sense is in bed.
Saturday at Noon
This is not the time you want to go grocery shopping for five measly items, our scientists determined. In addition to the normal crowds of weekday evenings, most parents also bring their school-aged children along, and most of these children would have rather been in school than being dragged around looking at candies and toys their parents won’t buy for them.
Checkout lines were always horribly long because the typical customer on a Saturday afternoon is there to buy most of the next week’s groceries. Navigating shopping aisles was like tip-toeing through a mine field of screaming children and other once-a-week shoppers.
Item freshness varied, as some produce appeared to have been restocked that morning while many others would likely sit there unreplenished until Monday morning. Specialty departments, such as Meats or the Bakery, were unmanned. Most of the tabloid magazines were starting to look raggedy.
Average Shopping and Checkout Time: 27 minutes
Average Checkout Price: $16.52
Average Product Quality: Varied from good to awful.
Pros: Uh… none really.
Cons: There are a million better things you could be doing with your Saturday afternoon. Everyone’s children misbehave more than your own, especially in grocery stores.
Wednesday at 8am
Bingo. The grocery shopping jackpot.
Specifically Wednesday morning, more than any other weekday morning, proved to be the optimal grocery shopping time. Parking, shopping, and checking out all proved to be quick and simple. Grocery store staff were rested, friendly, and helpful. Most fresh items had been restocked in the previous few hours and were still at their freshest.
Perhaps another point worth noting is that most of the grocery stores examined started their new promotion week on Wednesday, so hitting the store on a Wednesday morning provided the best opportunity to stock up on sale items before they started disappearing from store shelves.
On occasion, the express checkout lanes would fill with people purchasing just one or two items—typically store-brewed coffee and a lunch item for later that day. In these instances, a person with five or more items was sometimes served quicker stepping into a standard checkout lane.
Average Shopping and Checkout Time: 11 minutes
Average Checkout Price: $14.12
Average Product Quality: Freshest and best.
Pros: Super-fast shopping time, and items as fresh as can be.
Cons: Most people leave for work at 8am, so this might not be the best time to go shopping for you.
Our scientists also made another shocking discovery during the course of their investigation. According to several of the grocery store tabloids they purchased, Bigfoot seems to have secretly married Keira Knightley in a wedding ceremony atop the Empire State Building. Stay tuned for more developments in this breaking story, just as soon as our scientists get back from the store.
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62 Responses »
1.
s. jennifer rose
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
I conducted my own experiment a couple years ago using only Trader Joe’s stores. Trader Joe’s closes at 9pm, so I found that most nights shopping @ 8pm was PERFECT. Freely available parking, no crowds, quick check-out lines. Except Tuesdays, on Tuesdays they were out of everything. They must get deliveries on Wednesdays. I found Saturday nights at 8pm to be the best overall. All the cool kids must go on dates early. I dunno about you, but food trumps crappy movie any day of the week. Besides, they have showings at 9:30 too.
Of course now I’ve moved away from my favorite TJ’s store and am forced to shop at 3 different stores to meet the needs of the boyfriend, myself, and our dog. (The dog gets Safeway brand frozen chicken thighs, yeah I cook for my dog.)
2.
James
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:41 am
Wow! Sounds like your experience in a grocery store always ends up better than mine. Most of the time I almost run someone over because someone jumps out of an aisle not thinking that maybe somebody else with a cart may be passing by. I think they need stop signs in grocery store or at least those nifty little mirrors that allow you to see around corners for unsuspecting grocery carts.
3.
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September 3rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
This is a very interesting idea. I have been informally running my own experiment as well in hopes of finding the best time to go shopping and get fresh meat. So far, Sunday has seemed to be the most promising, but it is tends to be pretty crowded.
4.
rstlne
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
My usual grocery store is the nearby Pathmark supermarket. It is open 24 hours so any day of the week after 11pm (when only a few people would be shopping) is good. The weekly promotions start every Friday but in my experience, there usually isn’t a problem getting sale items.
5.
Jeff
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Thank god for scientists like these who are interested in the REAL issues and not all that fluff science like ‘global warming’ or ‘mars once had water on it’. I know that you often have the truly hard hitting stories before anyone else, and I have to say that I think this is another in a long line of greats.
6.
Jack
September 4th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
I once conducted a study where I found out that I was the smartestest scientist this side of time travel. But then in the same study I realized that shopping between 8 PM and 9 PM produces some pretty good results for me. I also realized that dumpster diving will provide food for free and is best done around closing time. Stealing from the bread truck is also fun but requires careful planning and a strong cardiovascular system, something that my smartestest-ness disqualifies me from having.
Oh, the pain of science …
7.
Brad
September 8th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Usually I hit the store during the week right when I get off work, usually it isn’t that bad. Otherwise, usually I just get in the car and go to the store at 1 am to get whatever I forgot to get when I went the other day.
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September 23rd, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I work in hotels and work a lot of late shifts! So Wednesday’s i can request off or to do a late. So i can squeeze my shopping journey at 8am. Yay
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June 10th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Nice idea to know about the best and the worst time for your grocery shopping. For me Saturday is the best day the shopping because finished our shopping in Saturday and we can take rest in the Sunday.
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me
June 11th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
here in fl the best day is…never, people buy out of control the hispanic and the blacks they buy like they never seen food in their entire life yuk.. ..
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July 1st, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Costco seems to be crowded no matter what time you shop.
12.
Hadara Olga
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:41 am
There’re several supermarkets aroun my living place. The worst time for shopping is in the weekend, too many peole in queque will makes us waiting for a long time to check out.
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July 17th, 2009 at 11:30 am
great article
Wednesday is just right
ots what ive seen
14.
Richard
November 4th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I see that day and times of the week were investigated. I would like to take it further to what time of the month is the worst time. I can not go shopping near the first of the month due to the lackees that abuse the welfare system. They wait for the free checks to come in and when they do the stores are a mad house. Everything is either nonexistent or flat out destroyed due to a lack of social respect for actual working Americans. Why is it ok for these people to use our system illegally then come and destroy our needs? It is reducilous!
15.
ximike2101
July 25th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Thank you for sharing! I also realized that dumpster diving will provide food for free and is best done around closing time.This is a very interesting idea.
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July 27th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
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September 25th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Very interesting. I’ll give all your “scientists” a big fat A for effort. But seriously, I think the best and worst times for grocery shopping all depends on the store location and demographics. While your conclusion would work best in your grocery of choice, it doesn’t mean that it will also be applicable to another store…
20.
Homegirl Cameron
October 7th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Ive tried many different times and day.. its usually the same! Boooo… But I will continue to research this ..give me something to do
haha
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October 9th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Last week at church our pastor who had just returned from Zimbaubwa Africa, told us how these people have almost nothing to eat and no posessions,and still they are very happy people,and also very thankfull for everything they have. These people would probably give they’re left ass cheek for the ability to stand in line all day for even one small bit of food. Sorry for being a wet blanket,but I just thought I would add a little prospective.
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December 2nd, 2010 at 4:17 pm
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26.
candy
January 24th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
why do grocery shoppers go up to the check out counter at the same time?. 50 people can be shopping my store, and as a checker, I’m bored, cleaning my check stand. Then boom!. One person comes up, and the other 25 follow. This happens at all hours and all days. Even in different states! This must be some kind of connection? Can you answer this question?
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February 3rd, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Too funny, in my town tuesday is senior day so you really want to avoid the market on that day.
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February 5th, 2011 at 6:11 am
Very good idea to know about the best and the worst time for your grocery shopping. For me Saturday is the best day the shopping because finished our shopping in Saturday and we can take rest in the Sunday.
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February 10th, 2011 at 9:44 pm
Very good idea to know about the best and the worst time for your grocery shopping. For me Saturday is the best day the shopping because finished our shopping in Saturday and we can take rest in the Sunday.
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February 28th, 2011 at 2:53 am
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May 16th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
I agree that the first weekend of the month is not a good time to shop if you’re in a hurry (or even if you’re not). Lines will be extremely long especially if that weekend is also a holiday weekend. Plus, the fact that it is a weekend in the first place is a triple threat: weekend, first of the month, holiday.
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August 3rd, 2011 at 6:15 pm
I agree that the first weekend of the month is not a good time to shop if you’re in a hurry (or even if you’re not).
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September 19th, 2011 at 5:59 am
After I get back from shopping it always appears as though I did not buy anything..almost everything I purchase has to be prepared..so there is nothing you can grab and eat…
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September 19th, 2011 at 6:00 am
I’ve never used it. I know people that have and I haven’t heard any complaints. The only thing that troubles me is the personal selection of fruits, veggies, meat and milk.
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September 19th, 2011 at 6:00 am
It really makes no difference what you purchase with your credit card. You don’t get more score points for buying groceries than designer clothes. You build credit by using the card and paying the payment on time.
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September 21st, 2011 at 5:45 am
My best suggetion – and I do this on Saturday before I go grocery shopping – is sit down and plan a menu for each day and each meal I need to cook. As I make the menu I make a list of the ingredients. My grocery list is divided into sections of the supermarket so as I place an ingredient on my list I put it in a specific category.
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September 21st, 2011 at 5:45 am
I’ve never used it. I know people that have and I haven’t heard any complaints. The only thing that troubles me is the personal selection of fruits, veggies, meat and milk. Those are things that I want to be in charge of, not someone else. What looks fresh to one person, may not look fresh to you.
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September 21st, 2011 at 5:46 am
Yes, if you use your credit card and always pay the bill on time it improves your credit. This will make it easier to get a loan to buy a new car or a house, or for emergencies.
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September 21st, 2011 at 5:46 am
As mentioned, they do work differently. Some will deliver (depending on how close you are), some will require pick up. Do call or find their website to find out their particular details.
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October 3rd, 2011 at 8:41 am
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