Walmart will close on Thanksgiving Day this year for the first time since the 1980s, a move the retailer framed as a thank-you gesture to associates who have had a “trying year” serving customers as stores stayed open during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are certainly thankful to our people for all of their efforts,” said John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S.
The company also will pay a third round of bonuses to employees on Aug. 20.
Walmart said stores will be open regular hours Wednesday, Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving, and the schedule for the traditional Black Friday sales push the day after the holiday will be shared “at a later date.”
