Jessica FisherContributor
Jessica Fisher loves French food, creamy coffee, and great meals that don't cost a fortune. Mom of six children, she's written four cookbooks and five million to-do lists. Find her latest projects at Good Cheap Eats.
published Mar 15, 2023
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Likely you’ve heard the conventional wisdom of making a meal plan or at least a grocery list before you head out to shop. You know to clean the fridge before you buy more. You may even already know to compare prices and choose the best grocery store, but have you considered exactly when to do said grocery shopping?
Turns out some days are better than others. 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! Here’s why.
1. It’s the first day of a new ad cycle.
Yep. Most stores in the United States and Canada begin their sale cycle on Wednesday. Hitting the store on that first day ensures that you can get the best selection and avoid shopping after they’ve already sold out of that $4 bag of frozen shrimp you’d been hoping to score.
2. It’s often double-discount day.
Some stores overlap their sales cycles, which means you can get the best of both discounts in one fell swoop. None of this going a day later to find out last week’s sale was better than this week’s. You can cherry pick from the best deals over a two-week period.
3. You may be able to find better markdowns.
Stores know that things will move quickly on the weekends, so they may be less likely to mark down items close to their best-by dates towards the end of the week. Midweek is a different story. You can find some killer manager specials when shopping on a Wednesday.
4. Stores are restocking for the weekend.
Sunday night shopping is going to be disappointing, and Monday and Tuesday aren’t much better, but by Wednesday the store is tooling up for the weekend. This means you’re likely to have your pick of the produce as well as other items being stocked for the weekend rush.
5. There are fewer crowds.
Stocked shelves. Empty aisles. Is there a better way to shop? It’s a more peaceful experience, with practical perks to boot. You can stroll through the aisles more easily and pay closer attention to the items you’re adding to your cart. (No cracked eggs in your carton!) Plus, you can check out quickly, without the long lines.
6. You’ll have a better idea of your weekend plans.
A lot can change between Sunday and Wednesday. Giving yourself some time to get going in the week and have a view of the coming weekend will help you plan better, making hump day a better day to shop.
Do you grocery shop on Wednesdays? Tell us about why (or why not) in the comments below.
