Weekly ad preview: how to see next week's ad early
Published October 9, 2026
Walgreens has the clearest weekly ad preview of any big chain: it shows you next week’s ad three days before it starts. Its Sneak Peek opens on Thursday at noon, and the ad itself starts on Sunday. That’s a full weekend to plan your list, compare prices, and decide whether a trip is worth it. Most stores don’t make it that easy, but a few others post their ad about a day early.
This guide covers which stores publish a weekly ad preview, when it appears, and how to use a sneak peek without getting caught by a price that changes.
1. Know which stores post a preview
A weekly ad preview is simply next week’s ad, published before its start date. Some chains do it on purpose, with a named feature and a fixed time. Others just publish the ad a little early. Here is what we know for the stores on our site.
| Store | Preview | Ad starts |
|---|---|---|
| Walgreens | Sneak Peek, Thursday at noon | Sunday |
| Safeway | Online about a day early | Wednesday |
| Albertsons | Online about a day early | Wednesday |
| Jewel-Osco | Online about a day early | Wednesday |
| Randalls | Online about a day early | Wednesday |
| Shaw’s | Often online a day or so early | Friday |
| Kings Food Markets | Often online a day or so early | Friday |
Walgreens timing from its promotions help page. Based on when new flyers appeared on USA Weekly Ads.
For the Albertsons family, “about a day early” is not an official promise. It’s what we see in the data: the new ad usually appears online the day before its start date. Treat it as a good chance, not a guarantee.
2. Know when the Walgreens Sneak Peek appears
Walgreens is the clearest example, because the timing is written down. According to its promotions help page, weekly promotions go live on Sunday, and the Sneak Peek opens on Thursday at noon.
That gap works well for a weekend routine:
- Thursday afternoon: open the Sneak Peek and note anything you need.
- Friday or Saturday: clip any digital offers in your myWalgreens account.
- Sunday: shop the first day of the ad, when stock is best.
The same pattern helps with pharmacy errands. If you’re picking up a prescription anyway, check the Sneak Peek first and you may be able to time the trip for the first day of the new ad.
3. Use our sneak peek pages
When a store publishes next week’s ad before it starts, its page on our site shows it as a sneak peek, next to the current ad. You can read every page of next week’s flyer without an app or an account, and switch between this week and next week to compare.
We check for new flyers every Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday, so a preview usually shows up on our site within a few days of the store posting it. If a store’s page doesn’t show a sneak peek, it usually means the store hasn’t published next week’s ad yet.
- Open your store’s page on our site on the day before its ad starts.
- Look for the sneak peek next to the current ad.
- Compare the two ads. If this week’s ad has something you want, buy it before the change. If next week’s is better, wait a day.
- Write your list from next week’s front page before you shop.
4. Plan the overlap between two ads
The real value of a preview is the decision it lets you make: buy now or wait a day. Without a preview, you only know this week’s prices. With one, you can compare.
| You see in the preview | What to do |
|---|---|
| A better price next week | Wait for the new ad to start |
| The same item, same price | Buy whenever it suits you |
| A better price this week | Buy before the change day |
| A big stock-up deal next week | Use up what you have, then stock up |
A simple rule set. It works for any store that posts its ad early.
The day before the change is the last day to buy at the old prices. For a Wednesday store like Safeway, that is Tuesday. For Walgreens, it’s Saturday. With a preview, you know whether that deadline matters this week.
5. Watch for chains with different days
A preview helps most when you shop at stores that change on different days. Pair a Sunday pharmacy with a Wednesday grocery store, and you get a new ad, and often a new preview, every few days.
Some chains change on different days in different areas, so check the dates on your own store’s ad. Shaw’s and Kings start on Friday, unlike most of their Albertsons sister stores. Read the dates on your store’s ad, not on someone else’s.
For the full list of start days, see what day does the weekly ad change.
Bonus: the two-reminder routine
Two phone reminders turn a preview into a habit.
- Reminder 1, the day before your store’s ad starts: “Check next week’s ad.” Open the sneak peek and write the list.
- Reminder 2, the start day: “New ad today.” Confirm the prices you care about, clip any digital coupons, and shop.
If your store doesn’t post early, move reminder 1 to the start day and drop reminder 2. You lose a day of planning, but nothing else.
Where to start
Pick your main store and check whether it posts a preview. For Walgreens, set a reminder for Thursday at noon. For Safeway and its sister stores, check the day before the ad starts.