Shoppers hoping to grab some last-minute items for those Thanksgiving Day feasts and Christmas shopping lists will be out of luck at Walmart. For another consecutive year, the retailer is shutting its doors this holiday season, with Walmart set to remain closed on Thursday, Nov. 28, as well as Wednesday, Dec. 25.
“Walmart stores will be closed once again on Thanksgiving Day so associates can spend the day with their families,” the company recently confirmed, marking 2024 the fifth year in a row that Walmart has opted to close on the holiday.
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While Walmart has long been closed on Christmas Day, it has joined numerous other retailers in recent years to shutter on Thanksgiving, a day that, while renowned for delicious feasts and football games, also marked the start of Black Friday shopping. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company broke its decades-long tradition and closed all stores on Thanksgiving Day. At the time, the company told USA Today that Walmart stores hadn’t closed on Thanksgiving since the late 1980s.
The decision set in motion a now years-long tradition, with Walmart opting to shut its doors on Thanksgiving Day every year since. Confirming the move in 2021, the retailer explained, “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.” In 2022, Walmart’s CEO, John Furner, told Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie that Thanksgiving hours were “a thing of the past.”
Although Walmart will remain closed on two of the biggest days of the holiday season, the company said it has plans in place to ensure customers “have a memorable holiday season with consistently low prices and a convenient experience no matter when, where or how they choose to shop all season long.” Part of that initiative includes an early start to Walmart’s Holiday Deals event and its inflation-free holiday meal, both of which returned earlier than in previous years.
“We know many of our customers are beginning to prepare for their holiday celebrations early, and we’ve adapted our approach to best meet their needs,” Latriece Watkins, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S., said. “We’ve worked hard to lower prices across our most exciting assortment ever, and we’re thrilled to give customers more of what they want this holiday – more time to prepare and more opportunities to save all season long.”
After closing on Thanksgiving Day, Walmart stores will reopen at 6 a.m. local time on Black Friday, the company confirmed to USA Today. The retailer will remain open on Christmas Eve, though some stores may close early.
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