Target announced it will permanently close stores on Thanksgiving, keeping a practice in place that first started in 2020, the Associated Press reported.
The threat of COVID-19 forced retailers, including Target, to change their approach to holiday shopping and Black Friday which meant closing on Thanksgiving. But instead of losing money, U.S. holiday sales rose last November and December, NPR reported.
The National Retail Federation said it expects nearly two million more people to shop between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday this year. And while a survey by the NRF found 66% of holiday shoppers planned to shop over Thanksgiving weekend, most did not say they planned to shop on the holiday itself.
While Target stores will be closed, distribution and call centers will have some staff on Thanksgiving.
Target has already started publishing its Black Friday deals online.