I don’t know about you, but I don’t find much pleasure in shopping at a crowded Costco. Navigating a massive cart through throngs of frantic shoppers, waiting in a long line to buy my restock of baking supplies, and wondering if it’ll take five or 30 minutes to get a simple slice of pizza from the food court all sound like my own personal nightmare.
Don’t get me wrong: I love Costco. But sometimes, what should have been a relatively quick morning grocery run turns into an hours-long affair, and although this is a regular occurrence, somehow it always takes me by surprise.
It goes without saying, then, that I’d sell my soul to shop in an empty Costco. My dreams of a deserted warehouse will likely never be fulfilled, but its traffic definitely ebbs and flows over the course of the week. If you have similar social aversions, you’re probably also constantly strategizing your Costco runs. But when is the warehouse more sparsely populated? When might you—gasp!—get a whole aisle to yourself?
The Worst Times To Shop at Costco
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A Costco fan on Reddit asked the for the best time to shop at the warehouse, as they already had a pretty clear idea for the worst time: “I’ve learned the hard way not to shop on Sundays. The line was all the way to the back of the store.” Another Redditor confirmed that you should never expect a smooth shopping trip on weekends. “Will never go on Saturday again, I’d rather wait two days and go without,” they said.
In a separate thread, one Redditor even suggested Monday should join the weekend lineup, for a grand total of four days of the week that they’d never visit the store. “I would avoid Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday at any time,” they said. Another Redditor, who self-identified as a Costco employee, agreed. “I work at Costco and Sunday is our busiest day of the week,” they said. “Friday and Saturday tie for second.”
And a Redditor, who self-identified as a former Costco employee, suggested that those hoping to indulge in samples should also avoid shopping on Sundays. “Sundays have the fewest food demos on the floor,” they said. “Not sure why since Sundays are busy.”
The Best Day of the Week To Shop at Costco
The best time to shop at Costco will vary from location to location, but employees have a few tips for those hoping to shop in a sparsely packed, well-stocked store. One Redditor, who self-identified as a Costco employee, wrote, “I can safely say Tuesday nights [are] our least busiest.” This could be because new weekly coupons take effect on Wednesday mornings. Another self-identified employee had a different experience at their warehouse, and said, “Wednesday afternoon is when my warehouse is at [its] slowest.”
Costco customers also have some suggestions about when to shop based on the region you’re in. Sundays may actually be a viable option during football season, according to one Redditor. “If you live in a football-fan state, shop during a game,” they said.
Other Costco fans agree that Tuesday is the best day to shop. One Redditor shared, “We went on a Tuesday at like 3:30 p.m. recently and it was most the pleasant Costco experience I’ve had in a minute.” Another Redditor replied, “Yep, Tuesdays are the least busy day overall from my experience.”
Redditors are full of tips, but one of the most popular (and reliable) pieces of advice is to just Google it. As one Redditor shared, “Pull up your local store on Google. It shows a bar graph telling you which days are the slowest and the time.”
When all else fails, ask your local Costco employees the next time you’re in the warehouse. Chances are, those card and receipt checkers at the door will have a pretty good idea of when your store is the least crowded. Now, whether or not you share that information with other curious customers, we’ll leave that up to you.
