If you’re like most typical Americans you do most of your shopping during one or two days of the week and, if you’re looking to save money, that’s a habit you need to change.
The fact is that the typical American tends to spend the most money on Saturdays, according to a recent Gallop poll, followed by the second most popular day, Friday. At $76 and $73 respectively, that’s approximately 40% more than most people spend on either Monday or Tuesday, the 2days of the week that we Americans spend the least.
Shopping on Friday or Saturday does have its advantages of course, one of them being that it’s much more convenient for people who work “9 to 5”. Also, a lot of items like books and electronic accessories tend to be discounted more on Fridays and Saturdays than other days, according to Savings.com.
Thrifty shoppers however will tell you that if you only shop on Fridays and Saturdays you’re missing out on a lot of excellent deals. Everything from clothing to groceries and dining out is getting cheaper during most of the other days of the week and the selection is usually better. Those things include;
- Groceries. While Saturday is the most popular day of the week by far for Americans to do their grocery shopping, Wednesday is actually the best day of the week to get discounts, coupons and promotions. Also, since the majority of grocery stores receive their biggest shipments during the earlier parts of the week, shopping on Wednesday will likely mean that your fresh produce is usually the freshest.
- Saturday is also the most popular day of the week for people to buy clothing, but the best discounts usually begin on either Wednesday or Thursday as most retailers roll out their weekend sales at that time. While finding great deals on the weekend is certainly possible, the fact is that most of the merchandise will be well picked through by that time, which means that you might not get the item that you want at the sale price.
- Saturday also happens to be the most popular night of the week for Americans to eat out and in fact almost a third of Americans say that it’s their favorite night, followed by Friday. The reality however is that the best deals, and the fewest crowds, can be found on Tuesday nights and, since it happens to be one of the slowest nights of the week, many restaurants have amazing deals on Tuesdays in order to lure customers into their places of business. From kids eating free to 50% off on bottles of wine there are all sorts of promotion to be found on Tuesday night, making it the best night of the week to eat if you’re looking for the most economical prices and deals.
- Saturday and Sunday also, not surprisingly, are the most popular days of the week for people to purchase entertainment. From going to the movies to hitting the links on the golf course, relaxing and a day spa and going to the theater, Saturday and Sunday are the most popular but definitely not the most economical. That day, like buying clothing and grocery shopping, happens to be Wednesday. Not only does it happen to be cheapest day of the week but, if you’re lucky, the crowds will be much less at many places including the cinema where, for example, on Monday and Tuesday you can get a $2 popcorn at AMC theaters as well as discounted tickets and other promotions.