If convenience is your number priority when shopping at Target, you need to know when your local store restocks to make sure you’ll get everything you need.
At the height of the pandemic, Target started receiving new shipments of essential items daily and restock these items overnight before the store opens. But before the pandemic, Target usually fills their shelves 2 to 3 times a week.
Keep in mind that Target does not implement a store-wide restocking schedule, so restocking time and day can vary per store.
However, if you are looking for a specific item that is out of stock, you have the option to sign up to get a notification once it’s back in stock.
What Time Does Target Restock?
Product | Day Restocked | Time Restocked |
Household essentials | Daily | 12 am – 6 am |
Groceries | Daily | 12 am – 6 am |
Others | 1-3 days | 12 am – 6 am |
Most target stores restock their products overnight after the store closes; usually, 12 am to 6 am.
When the pandemic started, many Target stores received daily shipments of essential items to cater to the growing demand for groceries and household essentials.
However, in some stores, there are no shipments on Sunday.
Target is also working on fast-tracking the shipments of high-demand products through the supply chain by coordinating with suppliers and distributors.
Do note that the shipment schedule varies depending on how busy a store is. Your local Target store can get new shipments from 5 shipments a day to two loads per week.
To ensure that the product you’re looking for is available, visit your local Target store as soon as it opens because restocking happens during the night.
If you’re looking for a specific item, you can call the store before visiting it to ensure availability.
Whenever a Target store receives shipments, they are directly loaded in the store’s inventory system.
Then, employees will sort them into pallets according to which department they will go.

Target employs overnight staff in bigger stores since restocking usually happens overnight, and essential items are typically sold out in a day.
In some scenarios, you may see employees restocking items during the day, such as clothing and home goods.
However, it is more common to find employees filling high-demand items, including cleaning items and other essential items during the day, as they get sold out pretty quickly.
When Does Target Restock Groceries?
Most Target stores receive new shipments from distribution centers in rotation.
Typically, trucks arrive with fresh goods between 3 pm to 11 pm for perishable groceries, including dairy, meat, produce, and frozen products.
While shipment schedules vary, most stores restock their grocery products between 12 am to 6 am to avoid customers.
For smaller stores, you might notice that employees restock groceries during the early morning hours as they don’t usually have overnight employees like busier stores.
How Often Does Target Online Restock?
Similar to the physical store, Target’s online store restocks products on a rotating schedule depending on the manufacturer’s product availability.
If you purchase a product on the website that is currently on backorder, you may need to wait as it will be shipped to you once it’s back in stock.
At the same time, for items that don’t have a definitive restocking schedule, your orders’ arrival will depend on the manufacturer’s availability and will be shipped to you as soon as they get the items restocked.
Simply put, if you order products on backorder from the online store, your products will only be shipped once they’re available.
But don’t worry, you’ll get notifications for the status of your orders.
How to Check Target Inventory
Target usually runs out of essential items, including groceries and household items, quickly.
Unfortunately, employees can’t give an exact schedule on when they can restock these products, but if you are looking for the stores’ inventory, you can visit the website and check if the products you’re looking for are available at the Target store near you.

However, keep in mind that the online inventory is not 100% accurate.
You can also take advantage of Brikseek’s online inventory tool, which allows you to check nearby stores that carry the product you want and its price so that you can plan your shopping trip accordingly.
If you are looking for a specific item and plan to buy it only, call the nearby stores to check its availability so you won’t waste your time and effort.
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Can You Get Notified When Target Restocks?
If you are waiting for a specific product to be back in stock at Target, you can now get notified so you won’t have to check the website and the local store regularly.
To do this, just go to the website and click on the “Notify me when it’s back” button.
You have two options to get notifications: via email or your phone.
If you sign up on the website, you will receive notifications in your email. If you sign up through the app, you will get notified on your phone.
Keep in mind that receiving notifications isn’t equivalent to product reservations. It can’t also guarantee the product’s availability. Furthermore, Target’s notification feature only applies to the online store and not to your local store’s inventory.
What Is The Best Day To Shop At Target?
Each Target local store’s restocking schedule varies, but most restock their products overnight and receive reshipments every 1-3 days.
This is why it is best to shop at Target every morning, right when the store opens.
Target’s restocking frequency also increases as the demand for essential products such as groceries and household items increases.
However, this also means that stocks usually run out much faster, so you have to be quick if you need essential items.
Since most people work during the week, the best days to go to Target are between Tuesdays to Thursdays, as you can expect people to be busy with work and won’t have time to shop.
Aisles wouldn’t be that busy, but in some cases, some people use their time for lunch to shop, so lunchtime can also be busy during the week.
If you are looking for a specific product and want to purchase it in the store, call the local Target store near you before visiting them.
This will ensure that the product you need is in stock. Otherwise, you can just buy it from the online store to avoid lines.
Lastly, if you’re planning to shop at night, ensure that you get its operating hours correctly. Many stores have adjusted their hours, and the Target store near you might have also adjusted its schedule.
What Is Target Restock?
Target has launched a new campaign to address the high demand for essential items called Target Restock.
It is free for all Target RedCard purchases and costs $2.99 for all other orders. Basically, Target Restock allows customers to place online orders for household essentials as late as 7 pm and receive their orders the next day.
If you want to avoid the hassle of shopping in-store and figuring out when you should visit the store, Target Restock is for you.
Conclusion
If you want to have a better shopping experience at Target, knowing when they restock their products can help you plan your trip efficiently. This will help you save time, money, and effort. Alternatively, you can take advantage of Target Restock or their online store to avoid the hassle of long lines.
If Target doesn’t have what you’re looking for in stock you made find that other similar stores such as Dollar General, Walmart, Home Depot, Aldi, Best Buy, Publix, TJ Maxx, Whole Foods, Walgreens and Costco may be good places to look.