The Worst Possible Days To Shop At Whole Foods

Grocery shopping is one of those necessary weekly tasks most of us love to hate. Whether or not you enjoy food shopping, there are certain protocols everyone should follow for a more enjoyable experience. Besides uncovering certain secrets of Whole Foods you wish you knew sooner, there are also particular days of the week that are better for shopping at the natural food store than others.

More specifically, if you're not a fan of crowds, want ample selection over your favorite products, and don't want to wait in long lines at the checkout counter, avoid shopping at Whole Foods on Saturdays and Sundays. Given most people's school and work schedules, weekend food shopping is extremely common. Therefore, every Saturday and Sunday, the popular natural grocer (like many other food stores) is more prone to unnecessary crowds and dwindling inventory.

That being said, if grocery shopping on the weekend is the only sensible option for you, which day you choose depends on your own specific preferences. If crowds are your main source of concern, avoid shopping at Whole Foods on Saturdays between 10:00 a.m. and 1:59 p.m. Based on a 2024 study conducted by DriveResearch, this tends to be the busiest time for all supermarkets nationwide.

However, if you are only able to shop on weekends and a guaranteed better selection of items is more important to you, you may want to brave the crowds on Saturdays. While Whole Foods does restock throughout the weekend, the store's inventory does taper down throughout the weekend.

Since Whole Foods sees a high number of customers each weekend, the grocer tends to inadvertently run low on inventory every single Monday. Especially if you're always on the hunt for specific items, Monday may not be the best time to go.

However, since the natural supermarket tends to refresh its weekly sales every Wednesday and Friday, the store is often fully-restocked between Tuesday and Friday. You can access the company's weekly sales before your next trip on the company website or by using the Whole Foods Market app. Better yet, if you want to stack last week's sales onto a new load of in-store deals, Wednesday is the only day to shop at Whole Foods when you want to save money.

On the other hand, if you prefer to get the greatest selection and deals of all the best (and worst) Whole Foods prepared items, Friday offers a variety of sales including the store's packaged sushi rolls and large one-topping pizzas. That being said, in order to take proper advantage of these deals, get to Whole Foods earlier in the day. 

Especially when shopping between Monday and Friday, the store will be busy after about 5:00 p.m. due to the after-work rush. If time and resources allow, for the best deals and a more relaxing shopping experience, aim to do your grocery shopping at Whole Foods mid-morning to late-afternoon, Wednesday through Friday.