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Between the deals and the bulk discounts, it’s easy to save money at Costco. But all the savings in the world are not enough to make a Costco warehouse tolerable when it’s packed with a sea of oversized carts jousting for free sample access.

If you’re tired of battling the crowds, changing when you shop at Costco can make a big difference. Here’s a look at the best — and worst — times to make your Costco trips.

Best time: Weekdays, any time outside 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Based on many Costco visits, reading a lot of social media opinions, and consulting the Google Maps data for a dozen different locations, the consensus is that the best time to go to Costco is on a weekday, provided you avoid the typical “after work” hours.

That said, if you want the absolute smallest crowd possible, Google’s “Popular times” charts show the least busy times are just before closing during the weekdays, which would be between about 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., depending on your store’s specific hours of operation.

Bonus tip: If you want to really improve your Costco efficiency, use the Costco mobile app to make lists and check sales. The app also gives you access to your digital membership card, as well as mobile pay if you have a Costco cobranded credit card.

Check out our picks for the best credit cards for Costco spending to earn more cash back at the warehouse club.

Worst time: Weekends, pretty much any time

You only need to drive by the Costco parking lot on a Saturday or Sunday to know the absolute worst time to go is on the weekend.

Folks who want to test their patience (and faith in humanity) to the max can head into the store either day between 11 a.m. and about 4 p.m. Be warned, this experience is not for the faint of heart (or short of temper).

If you absolutely can’t avoid heading to Costco on the weekend, your best bet is to be there when the store opens. Also, use your shopping list and don’t waste too much time browsing. Try to be out in under an hour if you don’t want to fight your way out of the parking lot.

Other options for avoiding the Costco crowds

The only sure way to avoid the crowds at Costco is abstinence — that is, to not go to the Costco stores in the first place. Here are a few ways you can still get your bulk buys without dealing with bulk-sized crowds.

Shopping Costco.com

Depending on your needs, you may be able to get a lot of your Costco shopping done through Costco.com. A lot of household items, including many Kirkland Signature paper goods, are available through the website.

Now, there are a few downsides here. For one, you can’t buy many grocery items, and definitely nothing cold. You also miss out on in-store-only items from other departments.

Additionally, Costco.com has a fairly large markup on most items over the in-warehouse prices, and that’s before you add on any applicable shipping charges, although many items ship free. (You can also get the shipping fees waived on many items by spending at least $75 per order.)

Ordering delivery through Instacart

For pretty much any other store, I’d caution against the hit to your budget from Instacart markups. But ordering Costco Same-Day through Instacart is surprisingly not terrible on markups in my experience.

Will you pay more for items than shopping in the store? Very likely — but it probably isn’t as bad as you think. And if you’re busy and/or don’t want to deal with the crowds, that extra cost could be well worth the benefits to your time and sanity.

Another big perk of using Instacart is that it (generally) codes as a supermarket. So you can potentially use a good grocery rewards card for up to 6% cash back on your purchases.

No sample is that good

One argument I hear from people about why they go during the busiest times is that’s when all the samples are out. Well, friends, I am here to tell you that no sample you will ever eat is good enough — or valuable enough — to make up for the nonsense of shopping at Costco on a weekend. This is one time when paying full price for something you want to try is absolutely the better move.

Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!)

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Add on the competitive 0% interest period and it’s no wonder we awarded this card Best No Annual Fee Credit Card.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Brittney Myers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet and Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.