Thanksgiving 2014: What’s Open, What’s Closed, And Where To Start Early Black Friday Shopping
Thanksgiving is here again, but 2014 has become a challenging year for people trying to figure out what’s open and what isn’t open on Turkey Day.
Like all other years, Thanksgiving 2014 is a federal holiday, meaning the U.S. Postal Service and all government offices are closed (but who wanted to go to the DMV on Thanksgiving, anyway?). The United Parcel Service will be closed, but UPS Express Critical delivery is still open for emergencies. Banks will be closed as well.
But after that is where it gets trickier. While people can count on some traditional Thanksgiving destinations staying open (like major gas station chains and movie theaters, where it’s actually one of their bigger days of the season), many stores that were once closed on Thanksgiving are now opening to take advantage of shoppers starting their season earlier.
Macy’s led the way by starting its Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving, but now many others have joined in.
Here are some of the stores that will be open on Thanksgiving (via Syracuse.com):
- Wal-Mart: open 24 hours, but Black Friday deals start at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving
- Kmart: 6 a.m.
- Big Lots: 7 a.m. (closing at midnight, reopening at 6 a.m. on Black Friday)
- Bass Pro Shops: 8 a.m. (closing at 6 p.m., reopening at 5 a.m. on Black Friday)
- RadioShack: 8 a.m. to noon, 5 p.m. to midnight (reopening at 6 a.m. on Black Friday)
- Gander Mountain: 8 a.m. (closing at midnight, reopening at 5 a.m. on Black Friday)
- Old Navy: 4 p.m.
- Michaels: 4 p.m. (closing at 2 a.m., reopening at 7 a.m. on Black Friday)
- Toys R Us: 5 p.m.
- Best Buy: 5 p.m. (closing at 1 a.m. and reopening at 8 a.m. on Black Friday)
- J.C. Penney: 5 p.m.
- Kohl’s: 6 p.m.
- Macy’s: 6 p.m.
- OfficeMax/Office Depot: 6 p.m. (closing at 9 p.m., reopening at 8 a.m. on Black Friday)
- Sears: 6 p.m.
- Staples: 6 p.m.
- Target: 6 p.m.
- Lord & Taylor: 6 p.m.
But along with the list of stores opening early on Thanksgiving 2014, there is also a group of stores that refuse to open their doors before the leftovers even have a chance to cool. Some of them have spoken out against Black Friday creeping up into Thanksgiving itself, while others are simply following a tradition to stay closed on the family centered holiday.
Stores that will be closed on Thanksgiving include (full list via ABC.com):
- Barnes and Noble
- BJ’s
- Burlington
- Costco
- DSW
- GameStop
- Hobby Lobby
- Home Depot
- HomeGoods
- Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
- Marshalls
- Nordstrom
- Patagonia
- Pier 1 Imports
- Publix
- REI
- Sam’s Club
- Sierra Trading Post
- T.J. Maxx
One of the most important aspects of Thanksgiving is the food, but not everyone likes to stand over a hot stove for the better part of two days to turn out the feast. Luckily, there’s a number of restaurants that will be open to make the big meal a breeze.
Here is a partial list (via Tech Times). Of course there are plenty of local options as well, so give them a call.
- Black Angus Steakhouse
- Bob Evans
- Boston Market
- Country Buffet
- Cracker Barrel
- Denny’s
- Golden Corral
- IHOP
While it may be difficult to keep track of what’s open and what’s closed on Thanksgiving 2014, hopefully this list can be a bit of a help.
