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If you’ve ever found yourself waiting in a 30-minute Costco line or getting stuck with a rotisserie chicken because all the turkeys were sold out already, you probably swore you’d never wait until the last minute to shop for Thanksgiving ever again. We’re only human and things happen, but to make sure you don’t find yourself in this position this year, the team at “Delish” is giving us a guide to the best and worst times to shop ahead of the holidays.
For Thanksgiving:
Don’t wait until Thanksgiving Day – Your store may be closed, plus, they may be out of staples you need for that turkey dinner.
The Monday before is the best day to shop for groceries –
- Google Maps data reveals that around 8 a.m. the Monday before Thanksgiving is when supermarkets are typically the least busy.
- An hour before the store closes that day is another top-tier time to shop.
- Google also recommends the Saturday before Thanksgiving, as soon as the store opens, or an hour before it closes, or as a last resort, the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving, right when the store opens.
The busiest times to shop – According to Google Maps:
- Saturdays between noon and 3 p.m. are the busiest
- So are the Tuesday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week, especially mid-morning, afternoon and evening, as well as the afternoon of the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
For Christmas:
The busiest shopping days – The busiest shopping days of the holiday season will most likely be:
- Black Friday (November 29th)
- the Sunday before Christmas (December 22nd) and
- the Monday before Christmas (December 23rd)
- Saturday, December 14th and Saturday, November 30th are also expected to be big days.
The best time to shop for Christmas – If you’re looking for the quietest time to hit stores, Google Maps shows Mondays around 3 p.m. tend to be less busy in general. Make things easier on yourself during the holidays by checking Google Maps to see how busy retail shops and grocery stores are in real time before you head out.
Source: Delish
