What's open, what's closed on Thanksgiving and Black Friday
The pandemic last year forced major retailers to dump Thanksgiving shopping hours at physical stores, and most are staying closed for another year.
Target has gone a step further by permanently ending the much criticized yet oddly popular creep of shopping into a holiday about family and being thankful — a move that could push other merchants to follow.
“With all these online shopping opportunities, is it really necessary to open on Thanksgiving?” Ken Perkins, president of research firm Retail Metrics, said in an interview with the Associated Press. He said retailers are weighing whether they should bother with labor and other costs to open on Thanksgiving when consumers increasingly are opting for online shopping.
As Target Corp. Chief Executive Brian Cornell explained in a note to employees: "What started as a temporary measure driven by the pandemic is now our new standard. ... You don’t have to wonder whether this is the last Thanksgiving you’ll spend with family and friends for a while, because Thanksgiving store hours are one thing we won’t ‘get back to’ when the pandemic finally subsides.”
The National Retail Federation predicts that 2021 U.S. retail sales for November and December could reach a record $843.4 billion to $859 billion, an increase of 8.5% to 10.5% from the 2020 holiday season.
The pre-season warm-up, also known as October retail sales, showed that consumers aren't hestitating on their economy-driving spending despite the worst inflation in 30 years. U.S. purchases of goods and services, not adjusted for changes in prices, rose 1.3%, the most since March and double the 0.6% increase gain in September, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
October spending was even more brisk than analysts projected as consumers responded to holiday discount advertising well before Halloween. But inflation, propelled by supply chain problems and brisk demands, means bargains are few this year, according to an analysis by Adobe.
To get a look at scanned copies of the week's advertising circulars, head to BlackFriday.com.
Here's a snapshot of retailers' Thanksgiving and Black Friday operating plans (although it's always a good idea to check websites for hours of particular stores, which can be affected by local laws or mall policies. The Glendale Galleria, for instance, is opening at 9 a.m. Friday, two hours later than it opened last year.):
99 Cents Only: Open 7 a.m. Thanksgiving and Friday.
Apple: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 8 a.m. Friday.
Bass Pro Shops: Open 9 a.m. Thanksgiving and 5 a.m. Friday.
Best Buy: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 5 a.m. Friday.
Big 5: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 6 a.m. Friday.
Big Lots: Open 7 a.m Thanksgiving and 6 a.m. Friday.
Costco: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 9 a.m. Friday.
Dick's Sporting Goods: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 5 a.m. Friday.
Home Depot: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 6 a.m. Friday.
Hobby Lobby: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 8 a.m. Friday.
JoAnn: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 6 a.m. Friday.
J.C. Penney: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 5 a.m. Friday.
Gap: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 9 a.m. Friday.
Ikea: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 10 a.m. Friday.
Kohl’s: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 5 a.m. Friday.
Lowe's: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 6 a.m. Friday.
Macy’s: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 6 a.m. Friday.
Michaels: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 7 a.m. Friday.
Nordstrom: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 8 a.m. Friday.
REI: Closed Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
Target: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 7 a.m. Friday.
TJX Cos. (HomeGoods, HomeSense, Marshalls, Sierra and T.J. Maxx): Closed Thanksgiving. Open 7 a.m. Friday.
Walmart: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 5 a.m. Friday.
World Market: Closed Thanksgiving. Open 5 a.m. Friday.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
