This Is The Best Day To Shop At Costco

The allure of bulk buys is what drives many people to shop at Costco. But if you find that you always have a hard time scoring a parking spot, you're definitely not alone. Thing is, you don't always have to wait on a super long checkout line at the big-box store. If you're looking to make your trip quick and easy, this is the best day to shop at Costco.

Many people save their food shopping excursions for the weekend, and with good reason. After all, in-office 9-5 jobs don't leave a lot of time to peruse the aisles at Costco during the workweek, salivating over those buttery croissants and $4.99 whole rotisserie chickens. If it's possible, though, you should try to avoid Costco on the weekends when it's at its busiest (via RD).

But Saturdays and Sundays aren't the only days when Costco gets crazy crowded. In fact, you might find that Fridays and Mondays are equally as busy as their weekend counterparts. The reasoning: people stock up on Fridays for the weekend, and conversely, stock up for the week come Monday (via My Recipes).

Here's when you should really be shopping at Costco

So when is the best day to shop at Costco? It seems that the one day when you won't get stuck on super long lines and have to sit idling in the parking lot waiting for a spot to open up isn't just one day, but a few. The best day (or days, really) to shop at Costco is a Tuesday (via Insider). The same goes for Wednesday and Thursday, when it will be easier to score a $20 sheet cake or get those dinosaur chicken nuggets that your kids love.

That said, just because Tuesday through Thursday are better shopping days doesn't mean that you can show up and flash your membership card at any ol' time. Shopping in the late mornings or early afternoons will guarantee you a shorter checkout experience. If you try to wheel your wagon up and down the aisles after 5 p.m., you're going to have to deal with everyone else who just got off work and is trying to buy those super big bags of chips, too (via Mashed).

So if you want to stay cool, calm, and collected while shopping at Costco, the best days to go are smack dab in the middle of the week. Just make sure that you go earlier in the day to avoid the after-work crowd, and you'll be able to find parking, stocked shelves, shorter lines — and amazing deals.