Best Buy, Walmart, Target Push Shoppers Online Amid Thanksgiving Day Closures

Thanksgiving Day has traditionally become the kickoff for Black Friday shopping for many retailers, but over the last year many have decided to buck the trend and close their stores for the holiday.

This year some retailers are already announcing that they will be closed for Thanksgiving Day, giving ample time for shoppers to shift their holiday plans as they push consumers online for sales.

Walmart, Target and Best Buy have all announced that they will be closing their doors on Thanksgiving Day 2021 and starting their Black Friday sales in-stores the following day, USA Today reported. Online sales will commence while stores are closed, giving shoppers plenty of reason to stay home and stock up on holiday gifts the retailers promise.

In a statement to USA Today, Best Buy spokesperson Keegan Shoutz said: “This year, we’ll have even more ways for customers to easily and conveniently get their holiday shopping done, over the Black Friday weekend and throughout the entire holiday season.”

In 2020, Walmart, Target and Best Buy also closed their doors on Thanksgiving Day during the height of the coronavirus pandemic to help reduce crowds in their stores and to also give their frontline employees a day to spend with their families.

Walmart announced it was closing for Thanksgiving Day in early June, with Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S., saying in a statement at the time, “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.”

These three companies were not alone in their decision to keep their stores closed on Thanksgiving Day in 2020, as droves of retailers also followed suit with a few exceptions. CVS, Walgreens, and a handful of grocery and convenience stores remained open that day.

It is expected that more retailers will announce that they will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day, moving the kickoff of Black Friday 2021 to its original namesake shopping day.