Walmart Will Close on Thanksgiving – Will Black Friday Be Canceled?

Originally Posted on Black Friday @ GottaDEAL

The big news today is that Walmart announced that their stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this year. While Walmart framed this decision as a reward for their employees who have been essential to many American’s lives this year, it is likely part of a bigger shift in Black Friday plans.We expect most other retailers to follow Walmart and also announce that they will close on Thanksgiving. But we don’t think this will be any more than a one-year exception due to the coronavirus pandemic. We expect Thursday sales in physical stores to resume next year.Walmart’s announcement does lead to questions about what Black Friday will look like this year. Will it be business as usual? Will there be no big sales? Will retailers expand their sale to a full week or longer to spread out shoppers? We examine the possibilities in this new article.