Walmart to close stores on Thanksgiving for second consecutive year

Walmart has joined rival Target in giving its employees off on Thanksgiving Day.

Walmart said it will close all its U.S. stores on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, as a ‘thank you’ to employees for their continued hard work during the pandemic. Target was first out of the gate with holiday plans, announcing back in January that it would close all its stores on the national holiday. This will be the second consecutive year that the two retailers closed their doors on Thanksgiving.

Walmart and Target are the only national retailers to announce holiday plans to date. Last year, many retailers went dark on Thanksgiving and pushed online holiday promotions instead in an effort to reduce crowds and reward employees amid the pandemic. 

Walmart said it will provide information about store hours for Nov. 26. (Black Friday), at a later date.

“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, executive VP and COO for Walmart U.S. “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. We hope everyone will take the opportunity to be with their loved ones during what’s always a special time.”