When is the best day to pick up the grocery bargains? The answer depends on what store you like to shop at. But there are some strategies that can work in your favor. The biggest tip: grocery shop during off-peak hours or days for your store or market!

The Unclaimed Money blogger discusses the situation in Save Money by Changing Your Grocery Day.

As you read through tips like this from national bloggers, keep in mind that in our area grocery sales usually start on Sunday or Monday. So on Sunday, you want to look through the sales fliers that expire that night and compare those specials to what’s been announced for the coming week. You might find yourself shopping on Sunday afternoon to pick up that gallon of milk or whatever product you need soon that WON’T be discounted anywhere by Monday.

Thursday and Friday are typically paydays for local residents, which is part of the reason that the local stores are jammed with shoppers on late morning and early afternoon on Saturday. If you must shop on Saturday, get out to the stores before 9 a.m. or as soon as that store is open for business. Some stores hold Saturday-only specials; and you want to beat the late morning rush on those specials.

Those who are weekly or biweekly payroll people also need to remember that the first of the month is when those who get food stamps or Social Security checks receive their money. It just so happens that the monthly pay cycle and weekly pay cycle coincide this week. I’ve already posted links to news articles on how a monthly pay cycle has an impact on grocery inventory and grocery selections. (Need I also mention the looooong lines at local banks and credit unions during the first two or three days in the month?).