When do grocery stores get deliveries?

January 29, 2007 10:12 AM

Is there a certain day/time of the week when grocery stores get deliveries of certain items?

I'm specifically wondering about eggs. I like to buy the local, free range eggs from my local grocery store, but they rarely have them in stock. Feel free to comment about any items, though.

posted by nbSean to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

You can always ask your local grocer... Just find a manager and ask, "Hey, I like to buy local free range eggs. On what days do you receive your deliveries?"...

My grocer seems to get egg/cheese/dairy deliveries on Tuesdays, but YMMV.
posted by amyms at 10:14 AM on January 29, 2007

You could try asking them. I don't think that this is going to be a global norm.
posted by handee at 10:15 AM on January 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Always ask. Sometimes you'll luck out and they'll set some aside for you every delivery day, or start ordering more because people are asking.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:27 AM on January 29, 2007

Pretty nearly any staffer knows when scheduled shipments arrive, although specialty vendors might only deliver when needed (or when supplies are avaliable).

You could also phone the company stamped on the carton. Many of them sell directly to anybody willing to drive out to the farm.
posted by ardgedee at 10:31 AM on January 29, 2007

It will absolutely vary depending on the store in question and the item in question. Feel free to ask the Manager of the department that handles the eggs and they will be glad to help you out.
posted by mmascolino at 10:39 AM on January 29, 2007

The simplest thing is to ask them. Not knowing who your grocer is and where you are located makes it difficult (if not impossible) for any of us to answer this with any certainty. My grocer gets deliveries on Mondays and Thursdays. I know this because I asked them. I don't understand why you had to post this on askmefi when a two minute call to your grocer would resolve this matter.
posted by special-k at 10:45 AM on January 29, 2007

I've worked at a dairy department in a ShopRite for two years and we had egg deliveries when the load came in (I actually can't remember the days! Maybe that's next week's AskMe question... Kidding!) Anyway, It really does depend on the store.

The free range eggs, we had several different kinds of those "special" eggs (Land O Lakes, local farms, Eggland's) and some we would get one week and then we would not get them at all for two months after! Used to drive me nuts "Do you have Morning Glory Eggs? You didn't have them last week! Tell your manager to get them! Now!"

So call your dairy department. We don't mind picking up the phone if it stops harassment in the aisle.
posted by daninnj at 11:38 AM on January 29, 2007

Delivery schedules vary wildly. Some vendors like Coca-Cola or Frito-Lay may be at a big store every day to restock and other commodities may only be ordered very infrequently (spices are usually considered the slowest mover in the store). Pulling up random egg vendors from the computer suggests that one delivery a week is the most common schedule. Weekly deliveries are usually Monday or Friday. The reason for this is that grocers sell most of their product on the weekend. You'll have to ask your specific store to be sure.
posted by Lame_username at 1:39 PM on January 29, 2007

Oh, and as for the post in question, this might help -

Dollar Stretcher -groceries
posted by ducktape at 3:15 PM on January 29, 2007

If you want local eggs (or produce in general), why not go to your local farmer's market? Then you're pretty much guaranteed that it will be fresh.

This site has a good tool for finding local farms in the U.S.
posted by bokinney at 8:57 PM on January 29, 2007