The Five Absolutely Worst Times To Go Grocery Shopping

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I’m not a big fan of going to the grocery store, especially when it’s packed with people. Not only do you have to deal with too many carts in the aisles, the waits at the check seem to last an eternity. If you want to avoid the crowd, don’t go shopping at these times:

• Weekends. It seems like Sunday is the busiest of the two days.
• Weekday afternoons between 4 and 7PM. This is when the on the way home from work crowd packs it in.
• During or just before a holiday weekend like Fourth of July and Memorial Day. If you wait this long you’ll have to deal with all the grillers getting ready for the big cookout.
• The day the weatherman predicts a big winter/rain storm to come in. People will ransack the grocery store to stock up on supplies. Not only will the grocery store be packed, everything will probably be gone
• The afternoon before a holiday. Make sure to buy your Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey at least a week in advance. You’ll avoid the crowds.

Are there any other times you try to avoid grocery shopping? Drop me a line and add to the conversation.

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8 Comments

1. strange bird on 25.05.2007 at 07:39 (Reply)

   A great time to avoid grocery shopping? When you’re *hungry*. Nothing to do with the crowds, but that can be very hard on a budget.

2. Rich Minx on 25.05.2007 at 08:30 (Reply)

   Or avoid altogether and shop online! There’s a nominal delivery charge but you save time and energy, and fuel getting to and from the supermarket. I shop at freshdirect.com and they gave me a $25 voucher after my first go.

3. The Frugal Law Student on 25.05.2007 at 10:06 (Reply)

   Strange Bird-
   I agree 100%. Last night my wife and I went to the store and I was hungry. I really wanted to buy some Little Debbie Brownies, I came close. The hunger taunted me to do it. Thankfully, I was able to overcome.

4. The Frugal Law Student on 25.05.2007 at 10:07 (Reply)

   Rich Minx-
   Hmmm… Ive heard of this online grocery shopping, but haven’t really looked into it. With rising gas costs, I think this might be a good idea.

5. Around the PF Blogosphere: May 25, 2007 | The Sun’s Financial Diary | A Personal Finance Blog on Saving and Investing on 25.05.2007 at 18:08

   […] Frugal Law Student has some interesting finds on the worst time to go grocery shopping. I try not to go to grocery stores on […]

6. Anne on 26.05.2007 at 08:51 (Reply)

   I work in a grocery store, and Saturday is about 20% busier on average than Sunday. Wednesday is the slowest. Another time you may want to avoid is weekday mornings, before noon. This is when all the stay-at-home parents bring their kids in, so there’s lots of screaming babies and children running around. Something else to consider: we restock products after our store closes and before it opens, so the best selection can be had right after the store opens. By the time we’re closing again, we may be low on or out of a lot of products.

7. The Frugal Law Student on 26.05.2007 at 09:02 (Reply)

   Anne-
   Thanks for the inside tips! I didn’t think about the stay-at-home parent crowd. Also, thanks for the heads up on when grocery stores stock. I think that’s something to take into consideration, especially when you’re looking for products that are discounted.

8. Helen on 26.05.2007 at 11:42 (Reply)

   Early morning shopping is great!! No one in the store and the shelves are stocked.

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