While America honors the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces who have lost their lives in the line of duty this Memorial Day, many businesses and almost all government offices close for the long weekend.
The federal and state holiday, which falls on Monday, May 28 this year, traces its roots back to the days after the Civil War when people began honoring both Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the war. Starting out as Decoration Day, Congress passed the Uniform Holiday Act in 1968 that designates the last Monday in May as Memorial Day.
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Take a look at what will be open and closed on Memorial Day.
Government offices closed on Memorial Day:
State offices: Closed
Federal offices: Closed
Municipal and county offices: Most all will not be in session.
Mail services: Post offices are closed and there will be no postal delivery.
DMV: Department of Motor Vehicles offices across the country will be closed.
Other businesses closed on Memorial Day:
Banks and financial markets: Most banks, including Federal Reserve Banks, Wells Fargo and TD Bank, will be closed. Both Nasdaq and The New York Stock Exchange will be closed. Bond markets will also be closed.
Garbage: Most trash pickup will be delayed. Check with your local provider.
UPS: UPS will not pick up or deliver on Monday.
FedEx: Most FedEx services will be closed. Many FedEx office locations will work on modified holiday hours. FedEx Custom Critical service will remain open.
Malls and retail stores: Most are open, with many offering sales.
Grocery stores: Most are open, including Kroger, Walmart, Target and Publix.
Pharmacies: Most are open. Some will operate on modified holiday hours. Check with your local pharmacy.
Fortunately for the millions of Americans vacationing over the long weekend, most gas stations will be open — although travelers should be prepared to fork over more than usual for a full tank of gas.
Gas prices this Memorial Day Weekend have jumped by 31 percent compared to last Memorial Day, CNN Money reports. The average for this weekend, where 41.5 million Americans are reportedly hitting the road for a vacation, will be at $2.97 per gallon.
CNN reports that gas prices haven’t been this high at this time of year since 2014, when crude oil was nearing triple digits per barrel.
There are a number of factors for the recent price surge. The first is demand, given that the number of expected traveling Americans jumped up by 2 million compared to last year and is the highest since 2005 for a Memorial Day weekend.
The second reason is crude oil prices, which hit $80 per barrel for the U.S. recently, a 50 percent increase compared to 2017. Those prices reportedly began to climb back up after crashing in 2015 thanks to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil cartel teaming with Russia to slash production prices.
Another factor turned out to be President Donald Trump’s decision to exit the Iran nuclear deal in early May, according to CNN.
Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, told the news outlet that the prices will likely grow to $3 per gallon average over the weekend before slightly dropping down for the rest of the summer.
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