I don't have to tell you that the holiday season of 2020 was unlike any before it (and hopefully unlike any after it too!). However, Target has announced that it will be keeping at least one thing the same in 2021, already announcing it will be closing for Thanksgiving again this year.
In a release, Target said the response to its decision to close on Thanksgiving 2020 was overwhelmingly positive, so it was a no-brainer to already make the decision to do it again (even though it's quite a few months away!).
"We also closed our stores on Thanksgiving Day in order to minimize crowds and help our guests take the stress out of getting the best deals of the season," the company said in the post: "The response was so positive that we’ll carry it forward this year, keeping our Target stores closed all day long on Thanksgiving Day. This is just one example of how our evolving strategy is meeting the needs of our business and our guests."
Target, as well as other retailers like Walmart and Macy's, chose to close this year as part of enhanced safety measures they had implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Target noted that more and more shoppers embraced shopping methods that didn't involve in-store shopping themselves, saying that its Drive-Up, Order Pickup, and Shipt programs grew a combined 193 percent over the holiday season.
Trying to predict anything these days is, um, pretty pointless, but if other retailers follow Target's lead, we could see Black Friday change forever.
