The Best Time To Shop At Costco To Avoid The Biggest Crowds

Do you find yourself stressed over impending Costco visits? Well, you're not alone, and that's kind of the problem. Costco is popular, and for good reason. The wholesale club offers bulk goods at low prices, and has a pretty fabulous food court to boot, complete with the iconic, and inexpensive, hot dogs. However, Costco also has another key feature: crowds. For many people, a trip to Costco isn't as easy as popping in and out of the wholesale club. Factors such as parking and long checkout lines are just an unfortunate reality when making a trip to the retailer. 

However, long lines and parking lot drama doesn't have to be a part of your monthly (or weekly) visit. In fact, if you plan in accordance with off peak times and days, you can avoid big crowds. Probably the worst time to shop at Costco is during the weekend, as this is when many households do their grocery shopping, or simply have time off to run errands. Rather, you will want to make your Costco visit during the middle of the week, on days that generally tend to be less traffic heavy. Stick to shopping in the middle of the day around, as you are less likely to run into the morning crowd or people running post-work errands. Of course, these aren't the only windows to shop in order to avoid crowds. There are several days, times, and even weather patterns that can make your shopping trip a breeze.

When planning your Costco visit, you will want to consider the day of the week. For starters, you will want to avoid shopping on the weekends, especially Saturday. According to a 2024 survey by Drive Research, Saturday is the busiest day for grocery shopping, especially between 10 a.m. and around 2 p.m. Sundays used to hold this title, however, Saturday has taken over as the most popular grocery shopping day in recent years. Even so, Sundays are still typically traffic heavy on both weekend days. So you'll want to steer clear on weekends.

Instead, stick with the middle of the week, from Tuesday to Thursdays. These days tend to be less busy than weekends. You might also want to avoid shopping on Mondays, as some shoppers make their weekly visit on the first day of the business week. And while Fridays aren't as bustling as the weekend, they do see an increase in foot traffic compared to the middle of the week. There are some exceptions to these guidelines based on extenuating circumstances, such as bad weather. Visiting Costco when it is raining might be a good idea if you're hoping to avoid big crowds, as many Costco shoppers tend to avoid the inconvenience of a rainy visit. So if you don't mind getting a little wet, you might want to plan your visit according to the forecast.

Now, you will definitely want to consider more than just the day of the week and weather when picking a time to visit your local Costco. You will also want to consider the time of the day. Visiting Costco in the middle of the afternoon, after the lunch hour rush, and before the post-work rush, will work best for a midweek visit. Shopping between Tuesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. is usually a good way to avoid major in-store traffic. But if a mid-day shopping trip isn't exactly convenient for you, you can also try shopping later in the evening, closer to the store's closing time. 

Conversely, you can also get to shopping early in the morning, right as the store opens. Of course, you do risk coming upon a line of door-busters waiting for the store to open, but these crowds usually aren't as dense as during peak hours. Keeping your trips to these less-trafficked hours and slower shopping days will help ensure the smoothest shopping experience possible. You might even have time to sit back and enjoy some soft serve ice cream from the Costco food court as a reward.