Target is the first major retailer to make such a permanent move during the pandemic. Experts say its decision could push other retailers to follow in its path.
NEW YORK — Target will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day, making permanent a shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season that was suspended during the pandemic.
“What started as a temporary measure driven by the pandemic is now our new standard — one that recognizes our ability to deliver on our guests’ holiday wishes both within and well beyond store hours,” Target CEO Brian Cornell wrote in a note to employees. “You don’t have to wonder whether this is the last Thanksgiving you’ll spend with family and friends for a while, because Thanksgiving store hours are one thing we won’t ‘get back to’ when the pandemic finally subsides.
Kohl’s and Walmart will also be closed on Thursday, but Walmart said it hasn’t made a decision yet on the future of Thanksgiving Day store shopping; Kohl’s declined to comment.Target said that distribution and call centers will have some staff on Thanksgiving, and they will collect holiday pay. Big retailers suffered blowback from critics who said thousands of people were forced to work rather than being with family during the holiday. Crowds started to also diminish for Thanksgiving Day in recent years, too, and the number of retail chains and malls, including Mall of America in Minnesota, stopped the practice. That whittled the number of stores open on the holiday down to well under 20 major chains, excluding pharmacies and grocers that remain open for a least for a few hours.
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