The Best Day Of The Week To Find Sales At Whole Foods

Whole Foods has become as well-known for its high prices as its high-quality produce. The Austin-based chain packs its stores with delicious prepared foods, organic meats, and local items, but all of that goodness comes with quite a price tag. Fortunately, you can save money simply by selecting the best day of the week to do your grocery shopping. When it comes to Whole Foods, it seems that Wednesdays are ideal as that is when the chain resets its weekly sales.

By visiting the store on a Wednesday, you'll get first dibs at all of the items that have just been marked off and can be poised to fly off the shelves quickly. By getting there early, you'll be able to take advantage of the savings before any items sell out.

Shopping on this day of the week also provides double the deals. Since the store's weekly markdowns start on a Wednesday, and they run through the following Wednesday, that means you might actually find twice as many items on sale. 

Shopping at Whole Foods on hump day won't just give you more opportunities to save money, it can also offer you fresher ingredients. In addition to the chain updating its sales on this day of the week, Whole Foods also prepares its prepackaged food and pre-cut veggies on Wednesdays. So that fruit salad you bought on Saturday might have been sitting in its packaging for several days. But, if you grab it in the middle of the week, you're getting it when it's as fresh as possible.

There also will likely be fewer customers on Wednesdays, as opposed to busy shopping weekends on Saturdays and Sundays. To have even more room to shop, avoid going to the store in the late afternoon and early evening when it will be crowded with people coming in after work. 

If you want to wait a couple of days, Friday can also be an advantageous day to shop at Whole Foods, because this is when the store stocks up on perishable items for the weekend. So, the fish you buy on Sunday was probably delivered a few days earlier. But, grab it on Friday, and it will be super fresh.

Like many grocery stores, Whole Foods offers its own coupon book, The Whole Deal. You can snag this when you get to the store, or you can check it out ahead of time online or with the Whole Foods app. This is an easy way to see exactly what items are discounted before you start shopping so you make a list and plan ahead.

Whole Foods is also unique in letting you try many items before you purchase them. Ask a team member about sampling everything from produce to chips to drinks. This lets you decide if you like something before forking over the cash for it. Similarly, the store will also let you request half a portion of an item. If you don't need a whole cantaloupe, for example, ask them to cut it up for you. This lets you save money while cutting down on food that would go to waste.

The supermarket will also do plenty of free meat prep for you. The butchers will debone poultry, tie up a roast, or help with seasoning advice. When you visit the seafood counter, have them clean your fish or even peel your shrimp for you. All of this comes free of charge and getting all of this done before you start cooking dinner can save you valuable time.