Walmart Plans to Close All Stores On Thanksgiving Day

Walmart has made the announcement that due to the unusual year that 2020 has been so far, they will close all of their stores on Thanksgiving Day, allowing their associates to spend time with their families. In a statement, President and CEO of Walmart U.S., John Furner said,

“We know this has been a trying year, and our associates have stepped up. We hope they will enjoy a special Thanksgiving Day at home with their loved ones,” said Furner. “We are certainly thankful to our people for all of their efforts.”

Stores will be open normal the day before, Wednesday, November 25, 2020. They plan to share more information at a later date regarding hours of operation for the day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday as it's often the tipping point in the year for retailers to move out of the red and into the black financially.

The news came along with their promise of another $428 million to be given to their associates as special bonuses. That brings the total of special bonuses to store, club, distribution center and fulfillment center associates in 2020 up to $1.1 billion. In the statement, President & CEO of Sam's Club, Kathryn McLay applauded the efforts of the club's associates,

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, I’ve been so proud to see how our associates have pulled together to take care of each other and our members,” said Kathryn McLay, President and CEO of Sam’s Club. “These are extraordinary times, and our associates have lifted each other up in extraordinary ways, and we are so grateful.”

There is no doubt the importance of these front-line workers amid this pandemic. They have continued to show up for work amid uncertainty to ensure that we, the consumer, have been able to get the goods and necessities we've needed for home and it's wonderful to see companies like Walmart and Kroger taking actions to provide some kind of extra compensation for their associates. Just last week, Walmart and Sams Club issued a statement requiring customers wear masks in stores beginning Monday, July 20, 2020 in an effort to better protect their associates and customers from the spread of the coronavirus. Shortly after, many other retailers like Kohls, CVS, Petsmart and more followed suite.