How Often Does Costco Restock?

There's nothing worse than finally making it through the doors of Costco and beelining it to the bakery section, only to find out that your favorite Costco pastries have already sold out. And although it might feel silly to treat your trip to the grocery store like lining up for concert tickets, the best way to make sure you're the first to shop the restock is just about the same: Get there early.

Costco doesn't restock on a specific day of the week. Instead, the warehouse replenishes items every morning before the store opens its doors.That said, not every item gets restocked every day, but it should appear on the shelves again within two to three days at most. You can check on whether something is in stock before you make the trip by using the Costco website or app to see if an item can be delivered to you from your local store. While the website won't be updated immediately after an item is sold out, it should be pretty current on stocking updates.

Even if you don't know exactly when your favorite items will be return to the store, you can plan your trip around the least crowded shopping days so if you stumble upon a restock, you'll be among the first to find it. According to data from Drive Research, midweek lulls from Tuesday to Thursday offer the best time to shop at Costco to avoid crowds. As for the best time of day, you've got a few options: Right at opening, right before closing, and from 3 to 4 p.m. were all times that showed lower foot traffic, helping you avoid the post-work and mid-morning rushes.

But if snagging a few Costco samples is an essential piece of a trip to the retailer for you, throw all of this advice out the window. The secret to Costco's free samples unfortunately comes paired with big crowds, with the most samples being offered on Saturdays.