The Absolute Best Days To Shop At Kroger, Hands Down

If you've been following our series on the best new Kroger items every month, you know that this grocery store has the goods. Since 1883, when it opened its first store in Cincinnati, Kroger has distinguished itself with great prices and strong community involvement. It may not be able to come for Aldi's crown, being the cheapest grocery store in the United States, but Kroger is bigger and offers a lot more SKUs. You may have wondered if there's a prime time during the week to go shopping at Kroger, and our research concludes that the answer is "yes."

Kroger sports stores in 35 states, and it has something in common with Publix – Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best shopping days due to the sale cycle. Most Kroger stores will kick off their new ad at midnight on Wednesdays, meaning that the best availability is on Wednesday morning. In a few regions (Indiana excluding SE Indiana and Evansville, Illinois, and Eastern Missouri) the sales start on Thursday, making that the best day. 

Mornings will always be our choice for the optimal grocery shopping timeframe, due to the fact that many people working "typical" 9-5 jobs will be tucked away in offices, making the store more peaceful and allowing you the chance to browse the fresh deals at your leisure. Even if you are one of those 9-5'ers and can't stop by until after work, however, the days in the middle of the week are still ideal for Kroger shoppers.

Knowing the best days to shop at Kroger is only half the battle; knowing how to shop on those days is the real pro move. Checking out the "savings" section of Kroger's website clued us in to the fact that the store offers digital coupons that you can "clip" and save to your account. These coupons flip over on Wednesdays, proving once again that the middle of the week is the right time to head to the store, your virtual binder of coupons secured. It's much less likely that special deals will have sold out, especially the hot BOGO buys and "5x" coupons, which can be applied up to five times in one transaction.

Looking to save even more on your Kroger shopping Wednesdays? Reddit Kroger fans suggest that, by signing up for a Kroger account, the store's algorithm will get to know your shopping habits and send you prime coupons for items you regularly purchase. If your Kroger has a gas station, as many do, you can also creatively utilize food deals to get fuel points that knock down the per-gallon price of gas. There's nothing we love like stacking savings, so this is right up our alley. 

Given the vast amount of deals that Kroger offers, it stands to reason that you would want to get to the store right when sales start, so that you have the first pick of the promotions. Wednesday — or maybe Thursday, depending on where you live — are the magic days for doing just that.