The holidays are here, and with them, plenty of deals and holiday shopping for loved ones. Thanksgiving weekend is a peculiar one, representing family togetherness as much as it does incredible prices, with many retailers taking advantage of assured foot traffic and staying open. Target, however, has announced it will never be open on Thanksgiving again.
It’s not a completely unheard of approach today, but it is still unique, especially with similar grocery stores keeping their doors open; Target has enough inventory it would be understandable if it was open like Stop & Shop or Walmart. But Target CEO Brian Cornell has recently addressed the retailer’s vow to permanently remain closed that Thursday.
Target CEO Brian Cornell explains the decision to permanently stay closed on Thanksgiving Thursday
Many stores, even the festive Macy’s, plan on staying closed on Thanksgiving day, with special hours for Black Friday immediately after. While some chains are calling it year by year, Target assures this schedule change is permanent – and it was made because of the staff.
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In a recent statement, Cornell revealed that employees expressed an appreciation for having the holiday totally off. Once he heard that, the decision became easy.
Cornell also asserts that Target’s year-round business model set the store up for comfortable success even while closed for the holiday. “Keeping our stores closed on Thanksgiving is possible because we’ve built our team – and Target’s strong business model – to deliver on our guests’ holiday wishes both within and well beyond store hours,” said Cornell.
The future of Thanksgiving trends beyond Target
It was back in November 2021 that Target first came forward and said it would forever remain closed on Thanksgiving, a move that CNN Business theorizes “may prompt rivals to follow suit — and make shopping in stores on Thanksgiving obsolete.”
While other retailers were closed for the profitable holiday back in 2020 due to the pandemic, Target remains one of the only big names to announce that this change would be permanent.
Back during this initial 2021 announcement, a spokesperson for Target did specify that some employees would be working: namely, service center and supply chain workers. Those who work on Thanksgiving will receive extra pay.
With seasonal bargains starting earlier and ending later each year, CNN Business notes that more and more retailers can afford to stay closed on Thanksgiving without losing any profits.
