By Nathalie Voit
Several stores are set to close on Thanksgiving Day. Retailers from Macy’s to Target to Walmart are opting to close down for the second year in a row following last year’s unexpectedly positive response from consumers and employees alike to the new policy. Some have also signaled intentions to make the holiday closures permanent. Check out our list to see which major retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving.
Walmart
The global retailer, which operates over 5,000 stores, will be closed on Thursday.
“Throughout the pandemic, our associates have been nothing short of heroic in how they have stepped up to serve our customers and their communities,” said Dacona Smith, chief operations officer and executive vice president of Walmart’s U.S. division, in a company announcement over the summer.
“Closing our stores on Thanksgiving Day is one way we’re saying ‘thank you’ to our teams for their dedication and hard work this year.”
Most stores will not reopen until 5 a.m. on Nov. 26.
Target
The company announced as early as mid-January that they would be closed for Thanksgiving. The Minnesota-based retailer is now the first to make the Thanksgiving store closure policy permanent.
“What started as a temporary measure driven by the pandemic is now our new standard,” Target CEO Brian Cornell said in a letter to employees on Monday.
As part of its new strategy, the discount-retailer will emphasize online and hybrid holiday shopping.
Macy’s
The retailer is set to celebrate its 95th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, although shoppers will not be present in any of the company’s 500+ store locations on Thanksgiving. However, curbside pickup will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in select stores.
“We are delighted to be able to offer customers curbside pickup on November 25 at a majority of Macy’s stores across the country, for customers to pick up a last-minute hostess gift [or] early Black Friday deal,” a spokeswoman for Macy’s Jacqueline King said.
Best Buy
In-store shopping will be closed, but the retailer will be open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Nov. 26. The company announced an early Black Friday and is encouraging customers to shop from home.
“This year, we’ll have even more ways for customers to easily and conveniently get their holiday shopping done over the Black Friday weekend and throughout the entire holiday season,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
Costco
The membership-only retailer will be closed on Thanksgiving. Stores will reopen at 9 a.m. Friday.
Apple
Black Friday deals will run from Nov. 26 to Nov. 29. Stores will be closed on Thursday.
Kohl’s
The company announced in June it would be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
The decision was made after receiving a “positive response from last year’s closure on Thanksgiving Day, as well as evolving preferences in how and when customers want to shop during the holiday season,” said the corporate statement.
Stores will open at 5 a.m. Friday.
Simon Property Group
The country’s largest shopping mall operator is shutting all its properties on Thanksgiving Day. Locations will reopen on Black Friday, the company announced in a press release.
Simon malls were generally open for select hours on Thanksgiving Day before the pandemic.
Grocery Stores
In addition to major U.S. retailers, many grocery stores will also be closed. Aldi, Publix, Trader Joe’s, Natural Grocers, and Southeastern Grocers are some supermarkets set to close this Thanksgiving. Among the grocery stores that choose to remain open, most will operate on a select schedule, so visit each retailer’s website to confirm the store hours.
