The Best Days To Shop At Costco For Restocked Shelves, According To Reddit

The Costco experience can differ dramatically from location to location. If there's only one Costco store in a major metropolitan area, you're going to want to know when to shop to avoid large crowds. In places where population density isn't as much of a problem, or there are more Costco locations to choose from, there's not as much of a hassle. Either way, arriving at Costco ready to pick up food for the next week or two is going to be frustrating if the shelves aren't stocked.

Luckily, Costco knows this and does its best to avoid empty shelves. It's just bad business to have customers guessing when they can shop. If the doors are open, products should be available to buy. That's why Costco restocks its shelves every day, and also at night when the doors are closed. But during peak periods, some high-demand items may disappear before workers can replenish them. First-time Costco shoppers should just go when they have some free time, but experienced shoppers who are tired of running into the store for a specific product only to find it missing might want to dial in when they drive over.

According to people on Reddit, Tuesday is the best time to shop. "I used to go Monday night but they were still stocking from the weekend blow out," said one Redditor. "I asked an employee about the out of stock situation and she told me the store is fully stocked by Tuesday." 

If empty shelves are something you're worried about, the weekend — especially Sunday evening — is probably the worst time to go to Costco. The store simply won't have had time to restock everything after the weekend warriors blasted through. That being said, it really shouldn't be an issue even on Sunday. There may be an item or two that's missing if it's really popular, but unless it's something you absolutely must have, there are usually good alternatives in stock nearby. "I very rarely see anything out of stock at my Costco," said another comment on that same Reddit thread. "It usually only seems to happen to a handful of sale items late on a Saturday."

For those of you who are looking to nail down a tight shopping schedule, it's worth noting that trucks of food and home goods drop off new products at Costco multiple times a day. "We get like 3-6 dry loads per day," said a Redditor who is presumably a Costco employee. "So whatever they send us is what we get, no set dates." Management monitors what product inventory looks like throughout the day and orders replacements as needed, which then arrive from wherever Costco centralizes the logistics side of things in your area.

If you're experiencing consistent issues with stocked shelves at your Costco location, no matter when you go, it could be a management issue. You can always go up to the customer service desk and inquire about the product stock issue. If you don't receive a helpful answer and the issue is severe enough, you can always try a different grocer.