Major Grocery Stores Like Walmart and Target Will Be Closed on Thanksgiving This Year
At least 30 grocery store chains, including Wegmans, Kroger, and Safeway, will remain open on Thanksgiving Day 2020.
Some surprising stores, like Walmart and Publix, will be closed for safety reasons.
The CDC advises against shopping just before or on Thanksgiving, so try to check everything off of your grocery list before November 26.
Thanksgiving dinner is one of the most meaningful meals you eat all year—and despite weeks of preparation, you always seem to forget something for the table. Whether we leave behind cranberry sauce, green beans, or whipped cream for the perfect slice of pumpkin pie, even the best of us have mad a last-minute run to the supermarket on Thanksgiving.
The COVID-19 pandemic is shaking things up this year, so make sure that you verify Thanksgiving hours with your local store before heading over—you never know if a certain location is closed. Grocery delivery is also a solution that can keep you from leaving your home, so make sure you check out the options available in your area, like Instacart and Amazon Fresh.
If delivery isn’t an option and you still need something for Thanksgiving dinner, there are still plenty of options. Here are the grocery stores that’ll be open on Thursday, November 26, plus the ones that won’t.
Is it safe to shop on Thanksgiving this year?
Although it never feels great running to the supermarket on Turkey Day, this year’s pandemic is making those last-minute trips even more inconvenient—and potentially dangerous. Before you head to the grocery store, consider how important that missing item is.
In new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency states that “going shopping in crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving” is categorized as a high-risk activity, one with the most chance of disease transmission. (That’s the same level as attending a party or crowded indoor gathering.)
“Avoid the last-minute runs to the grocery store,” advises Amira Roess, Ph.D., M.P.H., an infectious diseases expert and professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University. This will “reduce the risk of infection to yourself, the grocery store workers, and others in your community.” She suggests using grocery pick-up or delivery services if you don’t have everything you need.
If going to a store is the only option (and you definitely can’t go without that missing ingredient), make sure you’re shopping safely. Wear a face mask, sanitize your hands frequently, and keep at least six feet away from other shoppers. If you notice that your supermarket looks busy, try to find another that’s less crowded. Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water as soon as you get home. After all that, it’s time to get cooking.
Which grocery stores are open on Thanksgiving?
Despite the pandemic, plenty of stores have committed to remain open on Thanksgiving, and some others that have remained open in the past seem to be operating as usual. Here are the ones that should be open on Thanksgiving:
ACME: Most stores open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Albertson’s: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Cub Foods: Most stores open 24 hours.
CVS: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Dollar General: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Fairway Market: Most stores open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Family Dollar: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Food 4 Less: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Food Bazaar: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Food Lion: Most stores open regular hours.
The Fresh Market: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Giant: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Hannaford: Some stores open. Call location for hours.
Harris Teeter: Stores open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
H-E-B: Stores open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hy-Vee: Some stores close 2 p.m. Call location for hours.
Ingles: Most stores open with regular hours.
Kroger: Most stores open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Some locations open 24 hours.
Meijer: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Ralphs: Stores open 5 a.m. to midnight.
Rite Aid: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Safeway: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Save Mart: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Shaws: Most stores open 7 a.m. to midnight.
ShopRite: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Sprouts Farmers Market: Stores open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Stop & Shop: Most stores close 5 p.m.
Vons: Most stores open. Call location for hours.
Wegmans: Most stores open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Massachusetts locations will be closed.
Whole Foods: All stores open, most at 7 a.m. Call location for closing hours.
Which grocery stores are closed on Thanksgiving?
Plenty of these stores have historically closed on Thanksgiving, but some that usually remain open have decided to close this year because of the pandemic. Avoid these on November 26:
ALDI
BI-LO — Closed only this year.
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Costco
Fresco y Más — Closed only this year.
Giant Eagle
Harveys Supermarket — Closed only this year.
Lidl
Publix — Closed only this year.
Sam’s Club
Target — Closed only this year.
Trader Joe’s
Walmart — Closed only this year.
Winn-Dixie — Closed only this year.
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