Target Will No Longer Be Open on Thanksgiving, Making Pandemic Change Permanent

Target’s decision to close its stores on Thanksgiving, once considered a temporary move due to pandemic safety concerns, has now been made a permanent change.

Per a report from the Associated Press, Target will now keep its stores closed every Thanksgiving, marking a commitment that could very well result in other major retailers making similar announcements in the near future. In comments to employees, Target CEO Brian Cornell called the move part of a “new standard” within the company.

“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,” Cornell said.

Complex has reached out to a Target rep for additional comment.

When announcing back in 2020 what was then considered only a temporary tweak due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which indeed remains an ongoing cause of concern, Cornell said the company considered a “joyful holiday” to be “inseparable from a safe one.”

Of course, a hot topic of discussion with regards to shopping-related developments in 2021 has been issues of the supply chain variety. As detailed in a Wall Street Journal update over the weekend, worldwide supply chain issues are starting to turn around, though a resuming of closer-to-normal operations still isn’t expected until 2022.

As for the pandemic itself, the most recent update here in the U.S. is that the CDC has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots to all adults. Still not vaccinated? Change that here.