Target Commits to Keeping Stores Closed on Thanksgiving for Good

Back in the day, Black Friday shopping meant shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Shoppers would line up outside stores in the early hours waiting for stores to open so they could be among the first to grab the day’s door busters and save money on their holiday shopping list.

As the internet and sites like Amazon turned shoppers from shopping in store to shopping online, a change happened. Many retailers decided to start opening their stores earlier and earlier until people were starting their Black Friday shopping right after eating turkey on Thanksgiving day.

While some people liked being after to shop on Thanksgiving instead of getting up really early on Black Friday, others thought it wasn’t honoring to the holiday and was encouraging people to go shopping instead of spending the day with their family.

Then there was the pandemic, and crowds in 2020 were heavily discouraged. It would be hard to have traditional Black Friday shopping while social distancing. Instead of the epic 1-day only sales, many retailers shifted their plan again. They started sales as early as October and kept their doors closed on Thanksgiving day.

One year later, you may have noticed that this new shift in Black Friday shopping is continuing. The deals have already started, and the rush to do the bulk of the holiday shopping on Black Friday is not quite the rush it used to be. In addition, many stores, including Target, have decided to keep their doors closed on Thanksgiving day again this year.

Target doesn’t plan just to keep their stores closed this year. They plan to keep their stores closed on Thanksgiving day ever year going forward. Target CEO Brian Cornell told employees, “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.”

Although Target stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, that doesn’t mean that all Target employees have the day off work. There will be some employees working at call centers and distribution centers on Thanksgiving, but all retail stores will be closed.

When do you usually do your holiday shopping? Do you think it’s a good idea for stores to keep their doors closed on Thanksgiving Day? Are you a Black Friday shopper? Do you prefer to shop online or in store?