Walmart storefront.Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty
Walmart won’t be open on Thanksgiving Day this year.As they did in 2020, the company has announced that itwill be closing all U.S. storeson Nov. 26 as a"thank you" to their employeesfor their hard work throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout the pandemic, our associates have been nothing short of heroic in how they have stepped up to serve our customers and their communities. Sam Walton said, ‘Our people make the difference,’ and that’s never been more true than it is right now,” Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S., said in a statement, quoting the chain’s founder.
“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.”
This holiday season, stores across the U.S. will be open for regular hours on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Information about when stores will be open for Black Friday has yet to be announced.
Earlier this year,Target also announced that they will be closed on the national holiday.
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In addition to closing for Thanksgiving last year, Walmart also announced that it gave out roughly$428 million worth of bonusesfor employees.
The bonuses, which were a way of thanking employees “for their ongoing contributions and dedication to serving customers,” were paid out last summer.
Walmart’s decision to close stores for a second consecutive year was announced a month after the company shared that they willno longer require masks for fully vaccinated shoppers.
In mid-May, Walmartannouncedin a letter that “vaccinated customers and members are welcome to shop without a mask.” Unvaccinated shoppers, however, are asked to keep wearing masks in stores.
source: people.com
