Why It Pays To Shop At Kroger On Wednesdays And Fridays

First opened in 1883 under the name Great Western Tea Company, Kroger has built a reputation of being a pioneer in the grocery industry. After all, if it weren't for its founder, Bernard "Barney" Kroger, there are a couple of key things that might be missing from grocery stores today. But Kroger was also a pioneer when it came to pricing.

Kroger's father, Johan, had owned a dry goods store that was shuttered after the economy took a turn for the worse in 1873 (via Immigrant Entrepreneurship). In 1893, another economic downturn occurred that had the potential to do the same to the younger Kroger's blossoming store, but instead, Barney thwarted the crisis with several strategies, one of which was to offer the lowest prices to consumers.

While Kroger was criticized by newspapers for what was described as his "cutthroat methods," and he even received death threats if he didn't increase the price of bread, Kroger's stores continued to thrive, grow, and offer their store-made bread and other products at lower prices than competitors.

Today, the retailer continues to operate with the same principles that made Kroger successful in the first place including keeping costs low (per Kroger). But while you can find deals everyday at Kroger, there are a couple days that it especially pays to shop there.

Each Wednesday at midnight (Eastern Time), Kroger drops its new sales for the week in its weekly ad. If you want to be the first to get deals like buy one, get one on produce, lower prices on meat, mix and match deals on pantry items or prices that feel like a steal on sauces and snacks, Wednesday is the day to shop at Kroger.

Signing up to be a digital member means you can also get early access to the ad so you can plan your shopping trip for the week around the sales. Being a digital member also gives you access to coupons you can clip and use up to five times in one transaction. The store also sometimes offers deals to download their app, like $5 off of a $50 order (via Shopfood.com).

If you're in Illinois, Eastern Missouri, or certain parts of Indiana, though, you'll have to wait until midnight on Thursday for those deals to drop (per Kroger).

While you don't need to visit an actual brick-and-mortar store on Fridays, you will want to at least visit Kroger's site to take advantage of its Free Friday Download Deal.

Available only for digital members, the Free Friday Download Deal is offered on some Fridays throughout the month, when members can visit the page and download a coupon for a free item that's good for up to two weeks. The free item changes on each Free Friday but has included products like tortilla chips, popcorn, salsa, and granola bars (via Shopfood.com).

If you're apt to forget to check the page on any given Friday, there's no need to set a reminder in your phone. Instead, you can sign up for text notifications and Kroger will text to let you know when the Free Friday Download Deal (and other sales) are available.

And if you do want to visit the store on Fridays, keep an eye out for any weekend deals. The store does have a page you can check for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday sales, too.