- Animal Crossing New Leaf turnip prices change twice daily at Re-Tail from Monday to Saturday
- Buy from Joan on Sunday morning before noon; prices vary each week
- Four weekly patterns exist: Decreasing, Small Spike, Large Spike, and Fluctuating
- Turnips spoil when the next Sunday arrives, ending your investment
- Record every quote to identify the pattern and sell before Saturday night
How the Stalk Market Works
The Stalk Market is Animal Crossing New Leaf's weekly investment mini-game built entirely around turnip prices. Joan the boar saleswoman visits your town every Sunday morning to sell turnips in bundles of ten, and the purchase price she quotes changes each week. From Monday through Saturday, the Re-Tail recycling shop posts its own turnip buying price — one figure before noon and a different figure after noon. Your job as an investor is to buy low on Sunday and sell high before the following Sunday, when every unsold turnip rots.
Video Highlights:
- Sunday purchase routine and bundle sizes
- How Re-Tail prices update morning and afternoon
- Reading the weekly pattern from your first few quotes
- Avoiding spoilage losses on Saturday night
The table below summarizes the weekly rhythm you should plan around:
| Day | Session | Activity | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Before noon | Buy turnips from Joan | Sold in bundles of ten |
| Monday–Saturday | Morning | Check Re-Tail price | Price changes at noon |
| Monday–Saturday | Afternoon | Check Re-Tail price | Compare against morning quote |
| Saturday | Evening | Final selling deadline | Unsold turnips rot on Sunday |
Turnips cannot be stored in your house closet. Keep them in your pockets or drop them on the ground outside, and remember that spoiled turnips placed outdoors attract ants.
The Four Weekly Price Patterns
Every town week follows one of four turnip price patterns. Identifying the pattern early — usually by Tuesday or Wednesday — tells you whether to hold for a spike or cut your losses.
Decreasing
- Starts near the purchase price
- Declines steadily all week
- No meaningful peak appears
- Sell early or at the least damaging quote
Small Spike
- Several low prices first
- Short midweek rise, then decline
- Peak lasts only one session
- Sell during the rise, not after it
Large Spike
- Low opening prices
- Sharp midweek surge
- Best quotes often midweek
- Sell the full inventory at the peak
Fluctuating
- Moves up and down unpredictably
- Occasional profitable quotes
- No single reliable peak
- Set a target price and sell when reached
Here is how each pattern typically behaves across the week:
| Pattern | Monday–Tuesday | Midweek | Late Week | Best Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decreasing | Near buy price | Falling | Lowest | Sell at least damaging quote |
| Small Spike | Low | Brief moderate rise | Declining | Sell during the short rise |
| Large Spike | Low | Sharp peak | Falls fast | Hold and sell at peak |
| Fluctuating | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Sell at a preset target |
Compare each new quote with the previous session rather than following a fixed schedule. Two or three consecutive low quotes after a normal Monday usually signal a spike pattern building midweek.
Step-by-Step: Trading Turnips for Profit
Follow this weekly routine to turn turnip prices into a reliable Bells income.
Prepare on Sunday Morning
Have Bells ready before noon and find Joan in your town. Record her per-turnip price and decide how many bundles to buy based on your savings. Leave inventory space, since turnips cannot go into your house storage.
Record Every Quote
Visit Re-Tail each morning and afternoon from Monday onward. Log the purchase price, quantity, morning price, afternoon price, and the current profit or loss per turnip.
Identify the Pattern by Midweek
Use your Tuesday and Wednesday quotes to classify the week as Decreasing, Small Spike, Large Spike, or Fluctuating. This determines your selling plan.
Sell at the Right Window
For spike weeks, sell during the rising session; once a clearly exceptional price appears, selling your full or partial inventory protects the gain. For fluctuating weeks, sell when your target profit per turnip is reached.
Close Out by Saturday Night
Finish all sales before the new Sunday begins. Anything left over rots, and adjusting the system clock past Sunday also spoils your stock.
Selling only part of your inventory can secure a profit while leaving turnips available in case a later session quotes even higher. This works especially well during Small Spike weeks.
Profit Calculation and Risk Management
Simple math keeps your Stalk Market results honest. Total investment equals the purchase price multiplied by the number of turnips. Gross return equals the selling price multiplied by the number sold. Net profit equals gross return minus total investment.
This example shows outcomes for a 1,000-turnip purchase at 90 Bells each:
| Scenario | Sell Price | Gross Return | Net Profit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bad week, early exit | 60 | 60,000 | -30,000 | Loss limited |
| Break-even week | 90 | 90,000 | 0 | No gain |
| Small Spike | 180 | 180,000 | +90,000 | Solid gain |
| Large Spike | 400+ | 400,000+ | +310,000+ | Excellent week |
Avoid changing the 3DS system clock in a way that moves past the current Sunday. Time travel forward or backward across that boundary spoils your turnips and ends the investment immediately.
For more weekly income sources that pair well with turnip trading, review our Bells farming methods — island beetle runs and rare fishing cover the weeks when the Stalk Market turns against you. The official Nintendo New Leaf Welcome amiibo page confirms the core Re-Tail and visitor systems this guide builds on.
Weekly Trading Checklist
Stalk Market Weekly Routine:
- Buy turnips from Joan before noon on Sunday
- Record the purchase price and quantity
- Check Re-Tail prices every morning and afternoon
- Identify the weekly pattern by Wednesday
- Sell all remaining turnips before Saturday night
A simple notebook entry per session — day, time, and price — is enough to spot patterns. Players who track every quote consistently make better selling decisions than players who rely on memory alone.
FAQ
Q: When do Animal Crossing New Leaf turnip prices change?
Re-Tail updates its turnip price twice per day from Monday through Saturday — once in the morning and once after noon. Joan's Sunday purchase price changes once per week.
Q: What happens if I don't sell my turnips by Saturday?
Turnips spoil when the next Sunday arrives. Spoiled turnips cannot be sold as a normal investment and attract ants when placed on the ground outside.
Q: Can I store turnips in my house closet?
No. Turnips cannot be placed in the regular house storage. Keep them in your pockets or drop them outdoors, and finish selling before the new Sunday begins.
Q: How do I know if my town has a Large Spike week?
Large Spike weeks open with low prices, then rise sharply around midweek. If Monday and Tuesday quotes are well below your purchase price and Wednesday jumps upward, hold your inventory for the peak session.