Target + Walmart will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this year

This year is different in so many ways and the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays will look different, too—at least from a consumer perspective.

Having hoards of shoppers crowd into stores on Black Friday may not be advisable from a public health perspective come November so retailers are getting ahead of it now, cancelling in-store Black Friday blowouts.

This week, Target and Walmart both announced stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but Black Friday sales hours have not yet been released yet. We do know that sales will be happening earlier, at least at Target.

“Historically, deal hunting and holiday shopping can mean crowded events, and this isn’t a year for crowds,” Target said in its release. “That’s why our biggest holiday deals will be available earlier than ever, so you can shop safely and conveniently without worrying about missing out on deals that usually come later in the season.”

While Target and Walmart have declined to comment on Black Friday specifics, retail experts are betting the sales will be rolled out online and that curbside pick-up will be a major factor in holiday shopping this year.

Online shopping will absolutely be key in retailers’ plans this year, but Macy’s CEO, Jeff Gennette, says his stores will be prepared for in-person traffic as well, and will be staggering events to better manage the flow of shoppers into the retail locations.

We don’t know exactly what the this holiday season will look like, but we do know this: Essential retail workers have done so much for society this year and they absolutely deserve to spend Thanksgiving at home instead of behind a cash register.