The Best Days and Times to Buy Groceries This Christmas, According to Dynamic Pricing Experts
As the holiday season approaches, shoppers are looking for ways to stretch their grocery budgets. A new analysis by Decodo reveals the best days and times to shop online for fresh produce this December to get the lowest prices.
Decodo analyzed over 785,000 prices from 37 major U.S. retailers throughout 2025, now with a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables. The study highlights how prices fluctuate throughout the week and day, helping shoppers find the best deals this holiday season.
Best Times to Buy Fresh Produce Online in December
- Best time to shop: Friday at 1:00 AM, when prices drop by 19% on average
- Worst time to shop: Thursday at 7:00 AM, when prices increase by a huge 75% on average
- Other great deals: Thursday evenings (7:00 PM / 11:00 PM) and Sunday early morning (1:00 AM)
Dynamic pricing means prices can fluctuate based on demand, time of day, inventory, and store restocking schedules. That’s why an item priced at $1.95 may drop to $1.84 if you shop at the optimal window.
Best Week Times to Shop Fresh Produce
| Day | Time | Median Price | Savings vs Baseline | Status |
| Friday | 1:00 AM | $1.84 | -19.16% | Best time |
| Thursday | 7:00 PM | $1.90 | -16.30% | Evening restocking |
| Thursday | 11:00 PM | $1.90 | -16.30% | Late night |
| Sunday | 1:00 AM | $1.95 | -14.10% | Post-weekend |
| Thursday | 10:00 PM | $1.97 | -13.22% | Night deal |
| Sunday | 10:00 PM | $2.00 | -11.89% | Evening |
| Monday | 11:00 AM | $2.00 | -11.89% | Late morning |
| Monday | 10:00 PM | $2.00 | -11.89% | Evening |
| Thursday | 10:00 AM | $2.00 | -11.89% | Morning |
| Friday | 10:00 PM | $2.00 | -11.89% | Evening |
The results show that early Friday mornings (1:00 AM) consistently offer the deepest discounts, making it the best time for holiday fresh produce shopping. Other notable savings can be found Thursday evenings and late nights, while Sunday and Monday evenings remain pricier.
Worst Week Time to Shop Fresh Produce
| Day | Time | Median Price | Savings vs Baseline | Status |
| Thursday | 7:00 AM | $3.99 | +75.77% | Early morning |
Thursday early mornings (7:00 AM) are the worst time to purchase groceries, with price increases of 75% on average.
Fresh Produce Prices Throughout 2025
| Month | Median Price | MoM Change | Discount from Jan | Status |
| January | $2.49 | – | 0.00% | Winter pricing |
| February | $2.79 | +12.05% | +12.05% | Winter scarcity |
| March | $2.69 | -3.58% | +8.03% | Early spring |
| April | $2.39 | -11.15% | -4.02% | Spring harvest begins |
| May | $2.19 | -8.37% | -12.05% | Peak spring harvest |
| June | $1.89 | -13.70% | -24.10% | Summer harvest |
| July | $1.99 | +5.29% | -20.08% | Mid-summer harvest |
| August | $2.29 | +15.08% | -8.03% | Late summer |
| September | $2.59 | +13.10% | +4.02% | Fall transition |
| October | $2.79 | +7.72% | +12.05% | Fall pricing |
| November | $3.19 | +14.34% | +28.11% | Holiday demand spike |
| December | $2.99 | -6.27% | +20.08% | Post-holiday drop |
Methodology
Over 785,000 price checks and observations were collected from 37 major U.S. eCommerce retailers throughout 2025. Prices were tracked across categories including computing, mobile & tablets, TVs, and audio, cosmetics, clothing, and groceries. Dynamic pricing trends were analyzed to determine opt
Understanding Median Prices
Decodo reports median prices, which represent the middle value when all prices are arranged from lowest to highest.
For example:
- $200
- $350
- $400 ← Median
- $450
- $1,200
The median is $400 because half the products cost less and half cost more. Unlike the average, which can be skewed by extremely high or low prices, the median provides a better reflection of what a typical shopper actually pays.
About Decodo
Decodo (formerly Smartproxy) is a leading web data collection infrastructure provider. With a robust infrastructure featuring over 125 million ethically sourced IPs from 195+ locations, supporting various proxy types, a powerful all-in-one scraping API, and complimentary tools, users can stay confident about their web data collection and AI-powered projects.