How many times have you made a trip to a physical store, only to find out the item you specifically came for is out of stock?
It happens all the time, and it’s frustrating.
On the contrary, imagine walking into a store and finding new products. It’s just soothing.
The sweetest feeling is to find the best deals before anyone else when a new product hits the shelves.
But this can only happen if you know the store restock schedule.
To answer the question of “when do stores restock their shelves?”, we researched the restock schedules at popular stores like Lululemon, Best Buy, Marshalls, and Ross. Luckily, most major retailers have a pretty predictable restock schedule, so you can plan your errands accordingly.
So, we didn’t stop at the in-store schedule — we researched when they restocked online items, too.
Consider this your cheat sheet if you’ve been scouting out a new product release or a certain size of clothing that always seems to fly off the shelves. And if you want to squeeze out some extra savings, be sure to check out our latest coupons and deals by store.
Since a new Aldi weekly ad comes out each Wednesday (for most stores), Wednesday morning is the best time to shop at Aldi for the largest selection of new Aldi Finds.
Employees typically put new items out on shelves the night before the new ad sale starts. So, if you go to your store late on a Tuesday night, you may get first dibs on hot products like Aldi dupes, collectible gnomes, and Disney items.
Some Aldi stores start their weekly ad on Sunday instead of Wednesday, with deals lasting through the following Saturday.
Whether your store starts its weekly sale on a Wednesday or a Sunday, you’ll always be able to see a sneak peek of the next week’s upcoming Aldi Finds.
You can generally expect to see new items appear on Best Buy shelves by Tuesday afternoon since restocks happen in the morning.
However, this doesn’t always apply to popular new products, like the latest editions of the PlayStation or Xbox. These items usually have limited stock, so you’ll want to call your local Best Buy if you’re searching for something specific.
Costco warehouses usually restock in the wee hours of the morning, before the store opens. There doesn’t seem to be a standard day of the week when Costco restocks happen, but they do stay pretty on top of inventory from my experience.
The monthly Costco sales typically last 26 days. It usually kicks off on a Wednesday and ends on a Sunday.
If an item is sold out, you can usually expect to see it restocked within 24 – 72 hours.
Bakery items and fresh food (like their famous rotisserie chicken) get restocked daily, usually in the morning. Keep in mind that not all Costco warehouses have the same inventory, and they may choose to stock items on a different cadence.
In a well-kept Dollar General store (which can be a rare find!), it’s typically the morning and early afternoon shifts who handle restocking the shelves.
About six times a year, you can expect a Dollar General Clearance event, with fresh markdowns that help to clear out store shelves after major holidays.
Dollar Tree stores get a new shipment of products every Thursday. As for when the items actually hit the shelves, it depends on your store (and their staffing).
For fresh clearance markdowns, you can generally expect these the next day after a major holiday.
Five Below Squishmallow usually restocks on Sunday mornings at 5 a.m. ET on their website.
However, Five Below restocks in stores at 11 a.m. on Sundays local time (or whatever time your store opens on Sundays).
Once the Squishmallow restock comes out, they don’t get a new shipment, so the new characters often get snatched up right away (especially if you buy online and pick up in-store). They can sell out within 15 minutes!
As for the “As-is” clearance area at Ikea, it gets restocked with fresh markdowns often. We have seen this every time someone returns something to the warehouse.
Usually, Ikea restocks smaller items every 2 – 3 days. But, large items get restocked once a week.
Since Ikea stores are busiest on weekends, you might have the best chance at fresh clearance goods if you shop on Monday mornings.
The most popular products at Lululemon — like the ultra-popular belt bag and the Scuba hoodie — tend to sell out almost as soon as they get released. Luckily, the Lululemon online restock schedule is super predictable.
lululemon restocks their products online on Thursday afternoons. Users report that these online restocks typically happen around 5 p.m. ET every Thursday.
The “We Made Too Much” section gets restocked every Thursday around 11 a.m. ET.
As for Lululemon’s in-store restock schedule, it depends on the location. Call your local store to find out when to shop for specific items. If you have your eye on a sold-out product, you can sign up for email updates to get notified when they have it in stock.
We have seen that Marshalls typically restocks on Mondays and Fridays. However, they usually save their biggest restocks for Fridays. That’s because Marshalls’ stores get so busy on the weekends.
That means your best bet for finding fresh stuff is to shop at Marshalls on Friday evening or first thing Saturday morning.
Ross restocks their stores overnight, and they only receive shipments during the week. However, some stores do have a dedicated restock day.
How I found out?
Well, I called my local store to ask, and they just said it would happen “later in the week.” So, it varies by location.
No matter which day your Ross restocks, weekly markdowns always happen on Mondays.
Sam’s Club restocks happen throughout the week. The majority of the restocking occurs during the special hours for Plus members (from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.). This is the time when crowds are typically lighter and it’s easier to maneuver around the store.
As for markdowns and new Sam’s Club clearance deals, there’s no particular day or time that they happen.
Markdowns are at the manager’s discretion, so they can happen whenever they decide it’s time to move a product off the shelves.
You can use the Target app to get notified when items come back in stock at Target online or at your store.
And if you have your eye on something that the physical Target store doesn’t have, I recommend ordering it online. If your order is at least $35, you can take advantage of their two-day free shipping.
Shoppers report that some Target stores also restock perishables and fresh grocery items daily each afternoon. So there’s usually plenty of inventory if you need to make a quick after-work stop for dinner ingredients.
The Target Dollar Spot section gets restocked daily (with back-stock items) and seasonally (with the current season’s items).
Normally, T.J. Maxx gets new shipments on weekdays. So, you can expect them to restock items during the week.
I suggest shopping on Mondays for the best clearance deals at T.J.Maxx or shop later in the week (but before the weekend) for the largest selection of products.
At Walmart, most general merchandise gets restocked every 3 – 5 days.
However, the schedule varies for each department. For example, perishable grocery items won’t get stocked the exact same day and time as canned soup.
If you’re looking for a specific item, you should shop first thing in the morning, around 7 a.m.
That’s because, like Target, Walmart stocks their grocery shelves overnight (from about 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. at the latest). However, their shelves are pretty bare on Sundays or Mondays for fresh produce.
Note: The Walmart restock schedules can vary by location, so you’ll need to call your local store to ask.
Author:
Ahmad
