The Worst Day And Time To Shop At Costco (And Why)

There is no better feeling than finishing a shop at Costco and treating yourself to a deliciously affordable hot dog and a refreshing soda combo. Some days, thanks to the huge crowds that tend to fill this warehouse chain's locations, it can really feel like you survived something (sadly, Costco members don't enjoy the same in-app Scan And Go option that Sam's Club offers). Had enough of huge throngs of people clogging your location's wide aisles, or the overwhelming din of hundreds of voices speaking all at once? If you can, you should avoid heading into Costco right after the traditional work day had ended — that is, on a weekday, anywhere from 4 p.m. up until about an hour before your store closes.

The reason for eschewing this somewhat surprising time slot? If you were thinking of stopping by Costco to pick up something on your way home from work, so did at least a hundred other people. This is when the stores tend to be more clogged with customers who remembered they need toilet paper before they head home, or are looking for something to heat up for dinner. Which isn't to say that the weekends aren't bad at Costco, either — they surely are, especially during the afternoon when everyone is awake and has had time for breakfast before heading out.

If weekdays after 4 p.m. are out, and so are weekend afternoons, what does that leave? Well, weekday mornings, especially Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, are most preferable. These are the days furthest from the weekend, but the timing is also important, because the bulk of shoppers can't get there as soon as the doors open. There's another benefit beyond beating the crowds that comes with timing your entrance into Costco for early in the morning: You'll get first dibs on the sales and markdowns (you might also get the freshest produce, too).

There is also a period of time from about 7 to 7:30 p.m. onwards (most stores close around 8:30 p.m.) where the after-work furor has died down and the stores empty out a bit. If you don't mind shopping a bit later, this is also a good time to try your luck, especially if you know exactly what you're looking for and want to get in and out, despite the unlabeled aisles. Right before closing is not, however, the best time to head in if you're looking for a slow browse (employees will be trying to shut down the store for the night).

As with most retailers, there are exceptions to the rules when it comes to the ideal shopping times when you can get in and out with a relatively low crowd of fellow shoppers. And in Costco's case, this includes Sunday afternoons during football season. Yes, from early September until late January — especially if you live in one of 32 cities that has a football team to call its own — after an initial pre-game shopping surge, a huge population of Americans are at home on their couches, watching sports. Of course, football culminates in the Super Bowl in early February — According to some Redditors, while the big game is gearing up and partially while it's being played (most stores aren't open too late on Sundays, and the SB tends to start around 6:30 p.m.), this window is one of the best times to shop at Costco.

As for special days to avoid, the few days before and especially the days after a holiday are no-gos (the latter described as "Madness" on Reddit). It makes sense; the day before a holiday, you'll see a wild scramble as people grab last-minute items for their parties or feasts. In the days after, people will be stocking up, since the last time they shopped might have been much earlier in the week, and their food and home supplies are now depleted (to say nothing about the next day after Thanksgiving being Black Friday).