Best Buy joins Walmart, Target in keeping stores closed for Thanksgiving 2021

Thanksgiving is still several months away, but retailers are starting to announce holiday plans – and so far they look similar to 2020.

Days after Walmart announced it would keep stores closed on Turkey Day, Best Buy followed suit Tuesday and confirmed to USA TODAY that its stores also would be closed Nov. 25. Target kicked off the holiday store closings back in January when it said stores won’t open on the holiday that has traditionally been a huge shopping day in conjunction with Black Friday.

It’s the second straight year the three major retailers are closing on Thanksgiving, a trend started to cut back on crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic and to push more sales online.

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“This year, we’ll have even more ways for customers to easily and conveniently get their holiday shopping done, over the Black Friday weekend and throughout the entire holiday season,” Best Buy spokesperson Keegan Shoutz said in a statement to USA TODAY.

The three stores have also made masks voluntary for fully vaccinated customers and employees except where state and local mask ordinances remain in effect.

For years, Thanksgiving and Black Friday have marked the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season and the time of year when shoppers get focused on holiday spending.

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That rush of spending gave Black Friday its name, as in the time of year when retailers were “in the black.” For nearly a decade, that official kickoff has been creeping ever closer to Thanksgiving, eating into time people used to spend around the holiday table.

With few exceptions, nearly every major retailer stayed closed Thanksgiving 2020, reversing the earlier start to Black Friday. CVS, Walgreens, some grocery stores and convenience stores were among the businesses open.

Some retailers traditionally stay closed on the holiday, including Apple, wholesale clubs Costco and Sam’s Club and home improvement stores Home Depot and Lowe’s. (See the full list of stores that were closed Thanksgiving 2020 here.)

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