When you need groceries, tissues, or a new pair of pants in a pinch, you can generally rely on Walmart to be open.

Most Walmart locations open at 6:00 in the morning, and they don’t close until 11:00 at night. That even includes weekends in many locations.

Of course, there are some specific services within Walmart that operate on more limited hours, like the pharmacy and vision center. But for the most part, when you’re in a jam, you can count on Walmart to be open early or late.

But it’s not just that Walmart offers extended hours on normal shopping days. Walmart also tends to stay open on holidays.

Ran out of milk on Easter Sunday? You can run over to Walmart to grab more. Need extra hamburger buns for your July 4th barbecue? Walmart’s got you covered. 

But there are a couple of holidays each year Walmart closes for. And that’s a smart move on the company’s part.

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Walmart stores will close for Thanksgiving

Walmart is unique in that it stays open for most major holidays during the year while other retailers close their doors. But there are two holidays each year Walmart shuts down for — Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

So if you’re wondering whether Walmart will come to the rescue if you’re halfway through cooking your Thanksgiving turkey and realize you’re all out of stuffing ingredients, you’re out of luck.

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Of course, Walmart isn’t unique in its decision to close for Thanksgiving. Most major retailers are not open that day.

Other retailers that close for Thanksgiving

In addition to Walmart, you won’t be able to shop at the following stores on Thanksgiving Day:

  • Costco
  • Target
  • Best Buy
  • Home Depot
  • Lowe’s
  • Trader Joe’s

However, some retailers will be open on Thanksgiving, including:

  • Kroger
  • Albertsons
  • Safeway
  • CVS
  • Walgreens
  • Dollar General

Do keep in mind that many stores that remain open on Thanksgiving operate with reduced hours. It’s always best to call ahead and verify with your local store.

Closing for Thanksgiving is a strategic move for Walmart

By closing for Thanksgiving, Walmart may lose out on a fair amount of business. But it’s worth it for the retail giant to close for one big reason — employee satisfaction.

Walmart first made the decision to close for Thanksgiving in 2020 — a time when many workers were no doubt burned out from the stress of the pandemic. And the company has always framed its decision to close for Thanksgiving as a way to give employees a much-needed break.

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As Walmart said a few years back, “Closing our stores on Thanksgiving Day is one way we’re saying ‘thank you’ to our teams for their dedication and hard work.”

Walmart has long been a company that prides itself on providing workers with a strong career path.

“We believe our ability to make an impact on a global scale combined with our culture of promoting from within, from entry-level roles all the way to C-suite executives, is unparalleled,” Walmart says on its website.

Benefits of working at Walmart

  • U.S. associates get their first promotion after nine months on average.
  • Employees get low-cost medical insurance and access to virtual health programs.
  • Workers get paid time off, including sick leave.
  • Employees get up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
  • Team Associates and Team Leads can earn up to $37 per hour.
  • Store Leads can earn up to $150,000 per year.
  • Supercenter Managers can earn anywhere from $218,000 to $530,000 annually.
    Source: Walmart

Given that Walmart is known for having some of the best holiday deals in all of retail, you’d think that closing on Thanksgiving would be counterintuitive. But the fact that the company is prioritizing employee wellness is a positive sign.

When companies treat their employees well, it tends to translate to a better shopping experience for customers. So while some people may be bummed to not have access to Walmart on Thanksgiving Day, it’s easy to see why the company is sticking to that policy.

Besides, given the mayhem that is Black Friday at Walmart, it’s also fair to say that employees need a day of rest to gear up for the chaos.

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