Walmart Stores Will be Closed on Thanksgiving This Year

Walmart announced today that it will end its tradition of opening stores on Thanksgiving to give shoppers an early edge on Black Friday deals.

For several years now, Walmart would launch their doorbuster sales at 6 pm on Thanksgiving. But this has been an especially tough year as Walmart stores have remained open during the pandemic, putting extra stress on employees.

John Furner, the president and CEO of Walmart US had this to say in a statement, according to Business Insider:

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. We are certainly thankful to our people for all of their efforts.

Furner sent a note out to employees informing them of the decision and crediting Kevin Carlyle, the People Lead at Store #475 in Round Rock, Texas, for the decision. Carlyle reached out to company leaders and suggested they close this year to allow employees a much-needed break to spend some quality time with their families in this unusual year.

It gets even better for employees as the company also announced a round of bonuses ranging from $150 to $300 to be distributed to employees on August 20.