It might be different where you are, but all the supermarkets where I live, a fairly populated area, start their weekly sale periods on Friday. If a disproportionately large number of people want to shop on weekends, and the beginning of a sale period brings in more shoppers, why not start it when there would otherwise be low traffic? Also, the employment environment will be more favorable in the middle of the week.
The majority of people still work the traditional Monday to Friday, 9-5 for starters, and so do their shopping on weekends, as the last thing most people want to do is deal with a large shopping mid-week with with all the regular routine of meals to cook, children to tend and work again the next day. I work for Loblaws and we used to put out our sale prices for Saturday morning but have since changed to Friday morning to compete with Wal-mart and Shoppers Drugmart. We also have extended our hours of opening in the last few years, now open from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., seven days a week, only closed for Christmas and New Years. Our other corporate store is open from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. daily. During the week, there are other incentives to draw in customers. Tuesday used to be Senior's discount of 10% but that recently changed to 5% everyday. There are also mid-week and in-store specials. Our main specials are held all week long and we restock the shelves nightly, so it is convenient for people to shop when it suits their schedule. Probably the main reason we follow this pattern is because that is what we are accustomed to. :bugeye: Let any of the main competitors change direction and I expect the rest will follow suit, if they perceive that the net benefit outweighs the cost. In the end, it's all about the bottom line in the retail trade. Early in December, we will be opening at 7:00 a.m. and remaining open until midnight in the weeks before Christmas, as the fourth quarter is traditionally the 'make it or break it' period for many businesses.
In Yukon and B.C., the social assistance and disability cheques are deposited on a Wednesday. The corporation I work for pays on Thursday, direct deposit just after 00:00 hours.
