Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and Co-op – best times to shop before Christmas

Five of the biggest UK supermarket giants have shared the least busiest times to do any last minute shopping ahead of Christmas.

For any shoppers planning to head down to their local supermarket over the coming days, Aldi, Waitrose, Lidl, Asda and Co-op have revealed when to go to beat the bustling crowds. 

After a number of retailers slashed certain prices of key festive items such as carrots, parsnips, sprouts and broccoli, swarms of Brits have descended on the supermarkets.

Here are the premium times to go for a stress-free browse. 

Aldi

The money-saving supermarket has said that December 22, 23 and 24 are the best days to visit if you want to avoid crowds and queues, with the quietest time being between 8pm-10pm. 

To find your nearest branch, use Aldi’s website branch locator tool. Pop in your postcode or town and it will show the closest store to you. 

Waitrose

The renowned chain has over 300 stores up and down the UK. Although the company has not revealed specific times, it says the branches tend to be quietest just after opening and just before closing. 

Lidl

Similarly, this German-based food retailer didn’t share its quietest days ahead of Christmas, but it did reveal the best times. 

A spokesperson for Lidl said customers who wish to miss the midday rush should go shopping between 8am and 10am, or after 6pm. 

Like Aldi, a store locator tool can be found on their website to see where your nearest branch is. 

Asda

For weekdays, the least busiest times to make a trip to Asda throughout the year were in the morning or late at night. However, they did not share this information for weekends. 

As with the other two stores, Asda has a store locator tool online – this also shows opening hours for your local branch. 

Co-op

Early mornings and late nights are revealed to be the best times to shop in the Co-op during the run up to Christmas. 

Due to each branch operating at different open and close times, use its website’s store locator to find out when your nearest store is open.