Target Makes Historic Move With Holiday Hours The retailer will shutter its doors this Thanksgiving.
By Emily Rella Edited by Amanda Breen
The holiday season is sure to be stressful for shoppers, with supply chain issues causing low inventory and delays as well as stores struggling to find adequate employees amid holidays and extended hours.
Many will use days off around Thanksgiving to get ahead of their shopping, with Black Friday infamously remaining one of (if not the number one) biggest shopping days of the year.
The pandemic and its unprecedented circumstances have made many big-name retailers shift their strategies towards holiday shoppers, and Target's latest move is proof of just that.
Related: Survey Reveals Thanksgiving Food Costs Up 14 Percent
The chain announced that it will no longer remain open on Thanksgiving, something that has always made the store stand out among the hundreds of other retailers that shutter their doors on the November holiday.
Target first made the decision to remain closed on Thanksgiving last year, but as a temporary decision in accordance with the precaution that many retailers were taking during the pandemic.
"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," Target CEO Brian Cornell wrote in a note to employees obtained by AP. "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."
This Thanksgiving closure will now become a permanent part of Target's holiday hours policy moving forward, but the company said that some employees working in distribution and call centers will still be working and making holiday pay.
Target was up an impressive 39.60% year over year as of Tuesday afternoon.
