The Best Times to Shop at Costco, According to Fans

Costco fans know that a trip there isn't just a grocery run. It's an experience—sort of like an amusement park. And, like an amusement park—and so many other things in life—timing is everything. When you show up can make or break whether you get to ride the top attractions or spend all day in line.

And lines are definitely something to avoid at Costco. In an effort to help other Costco fans, u/UpperArmories3rdDeep dropped a tip in the Costco subreddit. The title of their post was simple, "Going in at opening is a game changer." That statement inspired more than 250 comments, with folks weighing in with their thoughts about the best time to shop at Costco. Want to make your next trip more efficient? Read on.

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The original poster (OP) came to this realization the hard way.

"I usually shop on Sundays," they wrote. "It’s my only day off, and I’m busy most of the week. Whenever I go, it’s crazy in there. It’s mentally taxing. I want to get in and get out."

Don't we all? So, the person decided to try and see if the "early bird gets the worm" theory holds true for Costco by going right when it opened on a Sunday.

"There was plenty of parking, the aisles were spacious, the lines were short, and the food court had open tables," they said.

Talk about a win-win-win. Unsurprisingly, the Redditor said they'd never go to Costco at any other time.

But what about the rest of Reddit?

Related: The Most Underrated Menu Item at the Costco Food Court

What's the Best Time to Shop at Costco?

So we have one vote for Sunday morning, but there were plenty of people in the comments who had other ideas.

? Any day at opening time. There was definitely a sizable number of folks on Team Early Bird, but that extends beyond Sunday. "You can go in as the doors open on any day," wrote one. "There may be 30-40 people total in my store and I can get out in 15 min."

"At Disney parks, [the] opening is called 'rope drop' colloquially," a person said. "I propose we coin a term for Costco opening: 'Roll up' for the warehouse doors, perhaps?"

? 20 to 30 minutes before opening time. "My Costco, at least on the weekends, tends to open the door about 30 minutes before [the] actual opening," one shopper noted. "It is perfect because it takes about 30 minutes to shop. So, it is empty, and by the time I have everything, the checkers are just opening up and ready too."

"I’m noticing this, too," said another. "My app says they open at 10. I was there at 9:40 and went in. It was so nice."

"It's called a 'soft opening,' so basically, if everything is done and ready to go, they aren't going to stay closed," a Redditor explained. Soft openings aren't something that Costco advertises, so you'll just have to go to your local store and see if they're into the early bird shoppers—or not.

? Weekday evenings. Another vocal group in the comments was Team Evening. "About 45 minutes before closing on Mondays or Tuesdays are good as well," said one person.

This poster wasn't the only one who pointed out that shopping later can have even greater benefits, especially on weeknights.

"Monday evenings are my go-to—usually pretty quiet," a Redditor wrote.

"Yes! Early in the week evenings are amazing," another raved.

"Pro tip? Go on Wednesday evening. It’s a ghost town," suggested someone else.

One caveat: The early birds totally get the bird (literally).

"Sometimes they run out of rotisserie chicken near closing, but everything else is nice when going late," a customer said.

? It depends. A few users took to the comments to remind everyone that there's no universally perfect time for Costco shopping.

"FYI, it depends on location," wrote a fan. "If this was in the Midwest, definitely true. If this was a busy part of Los Angeles, you bet there [would] be a line as long as the building (or crowd with carts equivalent) forming before opening."

"Yes, timing is everything," concurred another. "During COVID, they would open early for old folks like me, and we got [into] the habit of going early. Going late works too."

Next: 12 Secret Costco Perks