Thanksgiving is an odd time for the retail industry as most Americans will be at home with their families during the day on Thursday, but they will come out in droves for Black Friday shopping. The time in between can be a little confusing, especially if you’re looking for something at the last minute. Scroll down for a helpful guide to the national chains that will be open on Thanksgiving 2023.
Thanksgiving puts a huge strain on retailers in the U.S., from grocery stores stocking up on turkeys and other holiday staples to shops anticipating a rush of Black Friday deal-hunters. There’s also a delicate dance in terms of public perception – does a company want to offer the convenience of staying open for those that need a last-minute missing ingredient? Or would they rather show their consideration for employees’ personal plans?
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The answers will vary from store to store and from region to region, but the details are hard to pin down. Some grocers will be open on Thursday for last-minute shoppers and some won’t; some shops will kick off Black Friday late in the evening on Thursday while others will wait for the crack of dawn or simply stick to their normal business hours. It’s always best to find the website for your specific local store if you can, but for a general run-down, here’s a look at which retail chains plan to close their doors on Thanksgiving this year.
Grocery
Naturally, there are not a lot of people leaving the Thanksgiving dinner table thinking about food. Here are the grocery stores closed on Thanksgiving.
Aldi
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Costco
Hy-Vee
Publix
Sam’s Club
Trader Joe’s
Hardware
With the exception of some luxury tools and gift cards, hardware stores see little boost during the holiday season. It is no wonder that the stores listed below decided it was not worth it to open up shop on Thanksgiving day.
Ace Hardware
Acme Tools
Harbor Freight Tools
Home Depot
Lowe’s
Menards
Tractor Supply Co.
Simon Malls
When it comes to retail closures in 2023, one of the biggest stories of the year is Simon Properties, operator of many shopping malls in the U.S. According to a report by USA Today, Simon announced that all of its malls will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, which means the stores inside don’t even have a choice. The report also notes that holiday closures are increasingly common in general, especially on Thanksgiving.
Clothing
Many clothing stores are keeping their doors shut on Thanksgiving, especially those that are more specialized. If you have a wardrobe emergency, you may have to make due with something from home or something borrowed. Otherwise, here are the clothing stores that will be closed:
- JCPenney
- Kohl’s
- Macy’s
- Marshalls
- Nordstrom
- Nordstrom Rack
- Patagonia
- REI
- T.J. Maxx
- Target
- Walmart
Home/Furniture
Decorating and furnishing a home takes personal taste, and does not make for easy gift-buying. It is perhaps for that reason that so many home and furniture stores are not opening on Thanksgiving day.
Home Depot
HomeGoods
Ikea
Lowe’s
Pier 1 Imports
Craft Stores
Craft supplies would make a great gift for an avid DIY-er, if they were not so hyper-specific most of the time. In addition, most crafting products are so cheap already that retailer can offer little in the way of enticing discounts. Here are the national craft store chains closing up for Thanksgiving.
A.C. Moore
Craft Warehouse
Hobby Lobby
Joann Stores
Michael’s
Electronics
Sure, you may be hoping to get your friend or loved one some shiny new gadget this holiday season, but you are probably not looking to a small specialty shop for the deals. Stores that deal in electronics struggle to compete with big box stores and online retailers like Amazon, and must focus on things like cell phone plans — a risky choice for a gift. Here are the electronics shops that will not be open on Thanksgiving.
Belk
Best Buy
GameStop
P.C. Richard & Son
Staples
Target
Walmart
Sporting Goods
In today’s day and age, if a kid is more interested in getting outside and playing sports than video games when the holidays roll around, that’s a win. Unfortunately, sporting goods retailers are not optimistic that that will be the case, judging by how man are closed for Thanksgiving.
Academy Sports + Outdoors
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Patagonia
REI
