Use Google Maps to Find Out When Your Grocery Store and Pharmacy Are Least Crowded
With Thanksgiving coming in a few days, you might have to start a grocery store. (Of course, we’re assuming this dinner is exclusively for your family members.) Given the pandemic situation, you probably want to minimize the time you spend in the supermarket. And thanks to a new feature on Google Maps, you can access information about when your local grocery stores, pharmacies, cafes and parks are most crowded, and not go out during this time. Here’s how to use it.
Some Trends From Google Maps Data
After analyzing the data collected during the period from March to October 2020 the Maps using the Google , revealed several trends in terms of when a certain frequently visited places are the busiest in the United States. Here’s what they found :
- Grocery stores: least busy on Mondays at 8:00; busiest on Saturdays from 12:00 to 15:00
- Pharmacies : Least busy on Mondays at 9:00; busiest on Fridays at 15:00
- Coffee shops : Least busy on Tuesdays at 16:00; busiest on Saturdays at 10am
- Restaurants : the least busy on Tuesdays at 15:00; busiest on Fridays at 18:00
- Parks : least busy on weekdays at 7 am; busiest on Saturday at 16:00
But what about your local locations? This is where the new feature comes in.
How to use the new feature on Google Maps
If you haven’t figured it out yet, here’s a detailed description of how to use the new Google Maps feature, courtesy of CNBC :
- Open Google Maps on your phone.
- Find where you are going to go, such as a pharmacy.
- Tap it.
- Scroll down to description and phone number.
- Stop where it says Popular Times.
- You will see a chart of how busy this place is right now and how busy it is usually at different times of the day.
If you’d like to know more about the report’s findings, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Google’s methodology.