Here’s a list of High Desert big box stores that are closed on Thanksgiving Day
The days of big box stores opening for Thanksgiving Day shopping are over, at least for now.
Stores across the High Desert and the nation will be closed on Thursday before reopening so shoppers can scoop up Black Friday deals.
For years, major retailers like Best Buy and Target opened their doors on Thanksgiving to give shoppers a jump on the shopping madness.
A growing trend
During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, many companies decided to shutter their stores on Thanksgiving Day to give employees some time off.
The trend continued the following year, with more big box retailers joining the ranks of closed stores on Thanksgiving.
Many retail experts say E-commerce helped influence companies to shutter stores on Thanksgiving and launch online deals before and after Thanksgiving.
Sales start earlier
One example of the pre and post-Thanksgiving shopping trend is Walmart, where their official online Black Friday sale started on Nov. 21. In-store deals will begin on Black Friday.
Walmart’s 2022 Black Friday sale has been broken up into three savings events throughout November and caps off with a Cyber Monday sale on Nov. 28.
Target’s Black Friday sale started on Sunday and runs through to Nov. 26. The sale takes place in-store and online, apart from Thanksgiving Day when Target stores will be closed, and you can shop online only.
Target is also running a two-day Cyber Event on Nov. 27 and 28. This Cyber Monday sale will be exclusively accessible to shop on the Target website and the app.
Closed stores
The following High Desert big box retailers are closed on Thanksgiving Day, according to several online sites, including retailmenot.com and blackfriday.com:
Best Buy
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Costco
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Hobby Lobby
Home Depot
JCPenney
Kohl’s
Lowe’s
Macy’s
Michael’s
Target
Walmart
Readers voices
Several people shared their thoughts on stores closing on Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping, including Miryam Hester.
“I think employees should have Friday off so they can spend time with their family,” Hester told the Daily Press. “According to my sister, she did all her Black Friday shopping online.”
“I am heartened that they are doing this. What I haven’t heard is if they are paying them for the day off, they should,” Eric Moreno said. “I have shopped on Black Friday once when the Wii came out. Didn’t get one and never did that again. I saw some crazy people doing crazy things.”
“I think they closed for Thanksgiving Day because they know that the majority of people do their shopping online now,” Linda Hoffs said.
Rochelle Arostegui said stores closed on Thanksgiving are a great idea. However, she believes a compromise is in order.
“Maybe close early, like 3 p.m., so people can have Thanksgiving dinner with their loved ones and not be short on their paycheck,” Arostegui said. “Some people need all of their hours on their paycheck to make it nowadays. It does not matter for me, I work in a hospital, and we never close.”
“I am glad stores are closed on Thanksgiving. I have always gone black Friday shopping, and when the stores started opening on Thanksgiving, it seemed to take away the fun of waking up early and waiting for stores to open,” Randi Caporale said. “I am looking forward to shopping this year and hope it feels like it once was.”
Caporale said her Black Friday adventure will include Bass Pro Shops in Rancho Cucamonga, Walmart, Target and JCPenney.
“We try to finish by lunch and do the rest online,” Caporale said.
“I think it’s great that stores will be closed so their employees don’t have to work and can be with their families,” said Casie Barnard, who’ll do her shopping online.
“I’ve done Black Friday shopping in person once,” Barnard said. “The experience was horrible, the lines were insane, people were rude, and the savings weren’t worth it.”
“I’m glad they finally went back to being closed on Thanksgiving,” Millie Trujillo said. “The employees deserve to be with their families for Thanksgiving. I will not be shopping on Black Friday. There are plenty of good sales from then until Christmas.”
Cheryl Causey said she could count on one hand the number of times she has gone Black Friday shopping and had a couple of fingers to spare.
“On those few occasions, the sale prices on limited items were not worth the early morning start, standing outside in the cold for stores to open and jostling with the crowds,” Causey said. “Then, there’s waiting in long checkout lines and dealing with the ‘I gotta get mine’ attitudes of some shoppers.”
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: What High Desert big box stores are closed on Thanksgiving?
