Black Friday has been something of an American tradition for decades, with bleary-eyed shoppers getting up at dawn to snag unbeatable holiday prices. In recent years, so has the rush to open doors even earlier on Thanksgiving Day, just as Americans are polishing off their last piece of pumpkin pie. But given the current pandemic — and the fact that experts fear a second wave is coming — the nation's two biggest retailers have decided to pump the brakes this year. On Monday, Target announced it will be closing all retail stores on Thanksgiving, just one week after Walmart shared it would be doing the same.
A statement on Target's website explains that the decision was largely made to continue social distancing in stores.
"Let's face it: Historically, deal hunting and holiday shopping can mean crowded events, and this isn't a year for crowds," Monday's blog post read.
Ain't that the truth. If you've ever hit up Target on Thanksgiving Day, then you know the aisles are packed, the lines are long, and everything is … well, not-so-social-distancey.
So instead of building up anticipation for weeks about can't-miss-deals that will only be available in-store for a select number of hours, the retailer has decided to go a different route.
Holiday deals will start even earlier than usualthis year to prevent the holiday shopping rush.
If you tend to get annoyed by seeing Christmas ads the second Halloween is over, you might want to brace yourself this year. But the hope is that by stretching out the buying season, customers "can shop safely and conveniently without worrying about missing out on deals that usually come later."
In the process, stores will hopefully be able to manage the uptick in holiday sales while still abiding by health and safety guidelines.
"Starting in October and continuing throughout the season, you'll find Target's lowest prices of the year on items in stores and online, giving you the flexibility to get the gifts you want — when and how you want — at the Target value you love," the website informed visitors.
The retailer is also making lots of other little updates that will make shopping safer and more convenient for customers.
Aside from encouraging more online shopping, Target announced it will be making 20,000 more products available via the store's pickup and delivery services.
"More and more guests are turning to our convenient, contactless same-day services like Drive Up, Order Pickup and Same-day Delivery with Shipt, which grew 278 percent in the first quarter," the blog post continued.
"This holiday season, we're doubling down, making 20,000 more gifts, essentials, and everything in between available via our popular same-day services. Yep, that means offering fresh and frozen grocery items via Order Pickup and Drive Up at 1,500 Target stores across the country by this fall."
According to Target CEO Brian Cornell, the store has been doing everything in its power to help customers safely navigate the pandemic.
"The investments we've made in our business and our incredible team have enabled us to move with flexibility and speed to meet guests' changing needs during this global pandemic," Cornell shared in the statement on Monday. "This year more than ever, a joyful holiday will be inseparable from a safe one, and we're continuing to adjust our plans to deliver ease, value and the joy of the season in a way that only Target can."
The news was trending on Twitter Monday morning, where users didn't hold back from weighing in on the decision.
By and large, people sound in favor of the decision — and are someone disheartened that it took a pandemic to make it happen.
"Honestly, stores closing on Thanksgiving Day is probably the only good thing that came from COVID," one person tweeted.
"All stores should be closed on Thanksgiving Day," another added. "No reason at all to be open that day."
"I think it's great Walmart and Target are closing Thanksgiving day," someone else wrote. "It's become so commercialized, with people going Black Friday shopping before they even have Thanksgiving dinner. It's ridiculous and people are being forced to work when they should be home with their families."
Last week, Walmart was the first major retailer to announce it would be closing stores on the national holiday.
The news certainly came as a surprise, considering it's the first time in 30 years the store will be closed for Thanksgiving.
"We know holiday shopping will be different this year, and we will be managing sales events differently," John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart US, said Tuesday.
Furner also shared that the idea was actually suggested to corporate by an employee named Kevin Carlyle, who works at a store in Round Rock, Texas.
"[Carlyle] recently wrote us and suggested that we close for Thanksgiving during this unusual year so that our associates could spend the day with their families," Furner said.
"We know this has been a trying year, and our associates have stepped up," the CEO shared in a statement.
Instead, the retailer hopes employees will have a relaxing day off, focusing on something this pandemic has made abundantly clear: Time spent with the people we love matters more than anything.
"We hope they will enjoy a special Thanksgiving Day at home with their loved ones," Furner continued. "We are certainly thankful to our people for all of their efforts. Our associates have been working at an incredible pace, they've solved problems, and they've set an amazing example for others. To further appreciate their incredible work, we are pleased to share another special cash bonus this summer."
Walmart and Target aren't alone -- Sam's Club has also shared plans to close on Thanksgiving this year.
So far, it sounds like a lot of people are not only on board with the idea, but they're hoping it continues well after the pandemic.
"I feel like Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and at least half of Christmas Eve (if not the whole day) places should be closed as a general rule because I feel like culturally those are the biggest holidays here," one person tweeted. "People should be able to celebrate them."
Others worried that closing on Thanksgiving may just make the Black Friday rush even greater.
"Black Friday better be cancelled this year," one person tweeted. "No retail employee deserves to go through that h–l while a pandemic is going on."
That said, it does sound like both retailers are trying to stretch out holiday sales as much as possible — which may mean that Black Friday as we know it simply won't exist this year. (And who knows what that means for the future?)
