Lidl has launched a new way for shoppers in Ireland to check their local store's quietest times.
The pandemic has resulted in larger number of consumers hitting the supermarkets every day.
But Lidl is now offering a way to beat the dreaded long queues by sending a message to their "WhatsApp Chatbot".
Customers simply have to text a day and a time to Lidl - for example "Wednesday 11am" - and an instant and automatic reply will tell you whether that's a quiet, busy or average time to shop.
A Lidl Ireland spokesman said: "We've analysed our shopper behaviour over the past couple of weeks to find the quietest time to head into store - of course some stores will vary slightly but use the info below to help plan your shop.
"Just send a message with the day and time you intend to visit and it’ll instantly let you know whether that’s a Quieter/Average/Busier time to visit."
Shoppers can ask the Chatbot when is the best time to shop by clicking here.
The supermarket giant still wants to remind shoppers that priority times are set-aside for the elderly in Ireland.
The company said: "From 9-11am, we are implementing priority shopping hours for the elderly across all 163 Lidl stores in Ireland.
"This will include prioritised queuing and additional assistance for our older customers.
"We ask that the public respect this time period to allow more vulnerable customers to pick up the food and supplies they need."
