Many major grocery, drug, and convenience chains stay open on Thanksgiving Day (usually with reduced hours), while most big-box and department stores now close for the holiday.

Big chains often open

These types of places are commonly open, but with shorter or location‑specific hours.

Always double‑check your local branch’s hours as Thanksgiving gets closer, since they can change year to year.

  • Grocery stores that are often open with reduced hours: Kroger (and its banners like Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s), Food Lion , Meijer , Wegmans , Albertsons , Safeway , Giant Food , Shaw’s , Vons , and Sprouts Farmers Market.
  • Discount and variety stores sometimes open: Big Lots , Dollar General , Family Dollar , Dollar Tree (hours vary by location).
  • Drugstores and pharmacies: many CVS locations (holiday hours), some Walgreens (often only 24‑hour stores) stay open.
  • Convenience and gas‑adjacent stores: chains like Casey’s and Wawa are typically open, often 24/7 or on holiday schedules.

Stores that are usually closed

A growing number of large retailers close entirely on Thanksgiving to give employees the day off, reopening for Black Friday.

  • Big‑box and warehouse clubs that are commonly closed: Walmart , Target , Costco , Sam’s Club , BJ’s Wholesale Club , Lidl , Aldi.
  • Specialty and department retailers often closed: Best Buy , Kohl’s , Ulta , Sephora , and many mall stores.
  • Popular grocers that typically close: Publix , Trader Joe’s.

How to plan your Thanksgiving stops

Because holiday hours are inconsistent, treat any online list as a starting point, not a guarantee.

  1. Check the store’s website or app for your specific location’s Thanksgiving hours.
  1. If you’re cutting it close, call the store directly to confirm before you drive over.
  1. Expect earlier closing times even where places are “open,” especially full‑service grocery stores.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.