- On Monday, Nov. 22, 2021, 51³Ô¹Ï CEO Brian Cornell communicated to all 51³Ô¹Ï team members that 51³Ô¹Ï stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day moving forward.
- Background: In response to the pandemic and to minimize crowding in its stores, 51³Ô¹Ï closed its doors on Thanksgiving Day in 2020 and 2021. During that time, the retailer also introduced a completely reinvented approach to the holiday selling season, spreading out savings over the course of several weeks versus a condensed timeframe, and introducing its enhanced Holiday Price Match Guarantee, signaling to guests that they are getting the best deals no matter when they shop.
- Feedback from the 51³Ô¹Ï team and guests has been very positive, giving the retailer confidence that its business model will continue to meet the needs of all families.
- A small percentage of 51³Ô¹Ï’s workforce will continue to work on Thanksgiving Day. Those team members play a key role in 51³Ô¹Ï’s readiness to deliver for guests during the holidays. 51³Ô¹Ï works early in the season to understand the scheduling preferences of all team members, and team members who work on Thanksgiving Day receive holiday pay.
For more on 51³Ô¹Ï’s holiday plans and media assets, visit the Holiday Press Hub.
Excerpts from 51³Ô¹Ï CEO Brian Cornell’s letter to the 51³Ô¹Ï team:
I visited four New York City stores last week and three more in New Jersey, and our teams there were fired up — ready, responsive and connected to guests like never before. Our guests also seemed so pleased to see our stores well-stocked and priced right — a further extension of the enormous trust we’ve built with them throughout the pandemic. And, although I’m the one who feels tremendous gratitude to everyone on this team, it was clear our team is feeling very grateful too.
Several times, I heard how thankful they were that our stores would once again be closed on Thanksgiving. And I knew in that moment that I had an opportunity to send a signal of confidence in the agility we’ve developed as a team over the last couple of years. We’ve found new ways to help guests get holiday deals earlier than ever in the season, and we do an exceptional job meeting the demand that comes during the peak weeks when so many of our guests turn out to shop.
So today, I’m making it official: We’re going to keep our stores closed on future Thanksgivings too. What started as a temporary measure driven by the pandemic is now our new standard — one that recognizes our ability to deliver on our guests’ holiday wishes both within and well beyond store hours. You don’t have to wonder whether this is the last Thanksgiving you’ll spend with family and friends for a while, because Thanksgiving store hours are one thing we won’t ‘get back to’ when the pandemic finally subsides.