The Best Days To Shop At Publix For Fresh Stock And Shorter Lines

Ah, the joys of an uncrowded supermarket. Fresh bread, short lines, and no competition for the last jar of Nutella; it's the shopping equivalent of stepping on a crunchy leaf. But how do you guarantee this small miracle at the grocery store, especially one as popular as Publix? Fret not, dear supermarket superfan, as we have the answer: go shopping on Thursday.

A few years ago, we said Wednesday was the best day to go shopping. It was a great day to shop, as most people wait for the weekend to stock up, along with great overlap on weekly deals, which usually go up on Wednesday. However, both the shopping public and grocery stores themselves caught on: Publix's weekly ads go live on Wednesdays, and end on the next Tuesday, ensuring no deal overlap, so Wednesday is now the most crowded weekday as shoppers elbow each other to become the first to take advantage of the new discounts. However, according to a Publix worker on Reddit, Thursday is the emptiest day, despite being just a day after the deals drop, meaning you still have a good chance to pick up a bargain without waiting in line so long your discount ice cream melts into a strawberry puddle. If you can manage to get in late-morning or mid-afternoon, even better. You'll miss the early-morning rush and the lunch rush, the bakery options will still be warm, and some items are even best served in the middle of the day. 

Now that the Wednesday shopping secret is public knowledge, taking advantage of Thursday space is the next best thing, particularly when there are really no drawbacks. For instance, Publix's apple fritters, which is simply the greatest gift from any grocery store bakery, are baked daily, so there's no need to worry about getting the dreaded stale batch. It's not just the fritters either: Publix is one of the last big supermarket chains to bake bread every day.

There is a catch: Publix is so popular that you'll never find it truly empty. One Publix employee on Reddit says it's full around the clock, but crucially, it's always likely to have what you're looking for. Since you probably won't have an aisle or cash register to yourself, your best bet is to avoid the carnage of Wednesdays and the weekend, while also dodging people stopping in on their way to work or picking things up on the way back. Arriving mid-morning could give you the quickest possible experience, and even let you grab an apple fritter while it's still warm.