Walmart to close on Thanksgiving for second year in a row

A sign hangs outside of a Walmart store on May 19, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

If you wait until the very last minute to get food for your Thanksgiving dinner, you’re going to have to look somewhere other than Walmart this year.

On Friday, Walmart announced that all of its U.S. locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25. This is the second year in a row that the retailer has closed on the holiday.

The Thanksgiving Day closure is a way for Walmart to thank employees for "their continued hard work during the pandemic," according to the press release.

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Walmart's decision comes months after its competitor Target announced in January that it would be closed on Thanksgiving for the second year in a row as well.

The news was first announced during an Associate Celebration meeting by Elizabeth Brown, a Walmart associate, the release said.

"Throughout the pandemic, our associates have been nothing short of heroic in how they have stepped up to serve our customers and their communities," Dacona Smith, Walmart's U.S. executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement.

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"Closing our stores on Thanksgiving Day is one way we’re saying ‘thank you’ to our teams for their dedication and hard work this year," Smith added. "We hope everyone will take the opportunity to be with their loved ones during what’s always a special time."

Walmart will still be open during regular hours on Wednesday, Nov. 24, according to the release. The company said it will announce the hours for Friday, Nov. 26 at a later date.

Earlier this week, Walmart also announced it would be expanding store hours and removing in-store capacity restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, FOX Business reported.

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Walmart will still reserve the first hour of every Tuesday morning for seniors, anyone who is at least 60 years old and customers who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus.

FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.

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