Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods join major retailers in closing its stores on Thanksgiving Day

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the holiday shopping model upside down.

Courtesy: ABC News

Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods will close stores this Thanksgiving as the coronavirus pandemic forces major retailers to alter their upcoming holiday shopping plans.

The companies’ announcement to close on Thanksgiving came after Walmart said last week that it will stay closed on the holiday.

The move, announced Monday, comes as stores are rethinking this year’s Black Friday shopping bonanza weekend — along with other key retail days during the holiday season — as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic.

Stores always depended on big holiday crowds and work as much as a year in advance with manufacturers on securing exclusive items. Now, the virus has turned the holiday shopping model upside down. Stores have slashed orders and crowds are an anathema. With fears of a wave of virus cases in the fall, the biggest nightmare would be if retailers had to reclose during the most critical time of the year, analysts said.

“Historically, deal hunting and holiday shopping can mean crowded events, and this isn’t a year for crowds,” Minneapolis-based Target said in a corporate blog posted. It said its holiday deals would come earlier than ever — starting in October.

Walmart and Target declined to comment on their plans for Black Friday, but analysts say they believe that the retailers will pivot their business more online and focus on limiting the number of shoppers in stores. Like Target, other retailers will also likely start holiday sales even earlier to stretch out crowds.