Google Figured Out When You Should Go Grocery Shopping To Avoid Crowds

Photo credit: Alexi Rosenfeld - Getty Images
Photo credit: Alexi Rosenfeld - Getty Images

From Women's Health

  • Google found that grocery stores tend to be the busiest on Saturday afternoons between 1-3 p.m.

  • Mondays at 8 a.m. tend to be the least crowded.

  • Restaurants tend to be the busiest on Fridays at 6 p.m. and the least busy on Tuesdays at 3 p.m.


Grocery shopping, like pretty much everything else, looks a lot different these days. Not only is it somehow even more stressful than it typically is, but you also have to worry about making sure you have a clean mask and that you're going at a time when the line will be shortest...or hopefully non-existent. However, Google has clued us all to some stats that might help make your next shopping trip a little easier.

The company recently published some insights on their blog from Google Maps, analyzing how things like shopping, driving, and going out to eat have changed amid the COVID-19 pandemic and how things are shaping up to look this holiday season. When it comes to grocery shopping, they found that grocery stores tend to be the busiest on Saturday afternoons between 1-3 p.m. But you might have the most luck on Mondays at 8 a.m., when they tend to be the least crowded. They also looked into restaurants which tend to be the busiest on Fridays at 6 p.m. and the least busy on Tuesdays at 3 p.m. Finally, coffee shops tend be the busiest Saturdays at 10 a.m. and the least busy on Tuesdays at 4 p.m...guess Tuesdays are the days we all don't go anywhere!

We also learned via this blog post that restaurant reservations are up 203 percent since late last year, likely because many places now require them. They also found that interest in the term "takeout" has increased by about 306 percent over the course of the pandemic, which again, makes total sense as hopefully we're all staying home if we can and supporting our fave local spots. As for what we're all ordering, Mexican, Chinese, and BBQ foods were found to be the most-searched cuisines across the U.S. Hmmm, suddenly I'm hungry.

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