It happens every single November. You’re staring at the calendar, smelling the faint scent of pumpkin spice in the air, and realizing that the biggest food holiday of the year is barreling toward your storefront like a freight train. You have to tell your customers that we will be closed on Thanksgiving, but for some reason, it feels like a high-stakes negotiation. Why is it so awkward?
Honestly, it shouldn't be.
Retailers and small business owners often get caught in this weird guilt cycle. They worry about losing a day of sales or, worse, "disappointing" a customer who decided they absolutely needed a new screwdriver or a specific brand of artisanal jam at 3:00 PM on a Thursday. But here is the reality: the world is changing. People are actually starting to respect boundaries again.
The Shift Away From "Gray Thursday"
For about a decade, we saw this frantic race to the bottom. Big-box retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy started creeping their Black Friday deals earlier and earlier. It got to the point where "Black Friday" actually started at 5:00 PM on Thursday. It was chaotic. It was stressful for staff. And frankly, it kind of sucked the soul out of the holiday.
Then, the pendulum swung back.
A few years ago, REI made waves with their "Opt Outside" campaign. They didn't just close on Thanksgiving; they stayed closed on Black Friday too. They paid their employees to go hiking. People lost their minds—in a good way. It was a masterclass in brand alignment. Since then, a massive wave of major players has joined the movement. If you look at the 2024 and 2025 holiday cycles, the list of stores that remain shuttered is staggering. We're talking Costco, Lowe's, Target, and even some of the biggest malls in the country.
When you announce that we will be closed on Thanksgiving, you aren't just giving people a day off. You're making a statement about your company culture. You’re saying that your team’s sanity is worth more than a few extra bucks in the register. That resonates with people.
Why the "Always On" Mentality is Dying
Burnout is real. It’s not just a buzzword. If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn or looking at labor statistics lately, you know that employee retention is the single biggest headache for small business owners right now.
If you force a skeleton crew to work on a day when everyone else is eating turkey and arguing about football, you’re basically burning a bridge with your staff. Is that $1,200 in afternoon revenue worth losing your best manager? Probably not. Research from the Harvard Business Review has consistently shown that workers who feel their employers respect their personal lives are significantly more productive when they are on the clock.
How to Handle the "We Will Be Closed on Thanksgiving" Announcement
You can’t just flip the sign to "Closed" and hope for the best. You need a strategy. This is where most businesses drop the ball. They wait until Wednesday afternoon to post a grainy photo of a printed piece of paper on their Instagram story.
That’s a mistake.
Start talking about it early. Use your email list. If you’re a local shop, put a sign on the door two weeks in advance. But don't make it sound like an apology. Instead of saying, "Sorry, we’re closed," try something like, "Our team is taking the day to recharge with their families so we can be ready for the Black Friday rush!"
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Communication Channels That Actually Work
- Google Business Profile: This is the big one. If you don't update your "Special Hours" on Google, people will drive to your store, see the locked door, and leave a one-star review because they're hangry. Don't let that happen.
- Social Media Bio: Temporarily change your bio or pin a post.
- The Physical Door: Old school, but effective. Make it pretty. Use a nice font.
I once saw a local bakery put a sign up that said: "If we're here, we can't eat pie. We really want to eat pie. See you Friday!" It was human. It was funny. No one was mad about it.
The Financial Reality of Closing
Let's talk numbers, because I know that's what keeps you up at night. You're worried that if you aren't open, your competitor down the street will be.
Here's a secret: Thanksgiving Day shoppers are usually "low-intent" shoppers. They’re often just looking for something to do to get out of the house. They aren't your whales. They aren't the people who are going to sustain your business through Q1. By closing, you're actually concentrating your demand.
People who wanted to visit you on Thursday will just come on Wednesday or Friday. You aren't losing the sale; you're just moving it. Plus, you save on overhead. You don't have to pay for electricity, heating, or holiday pay (which you should be paying if you’re open, let's be honest). When you run the math, the margin on Thanksgiving Day is often razor-thin anyway.
Managing Customer Expectations
There will always be that one person. You know the one. They’ll send an angry DM or an email at 10:00 AM on Thursday asking why you haven't responded to their query about a return policy.
You have to set boundaries.
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Set an auto-responder on your email. Something simple: "Thanks for reaching out! Our team is currently away celebrating Thanksgiving. We'll get back to you as soon as we're back in the office on Friday morning." Most people will totally get it. The ones who don't? They probably weren't your ideal customers to begin with.
Planning for the "Day After" Chaos
Closing on Thursday means Friday is going to be intense. You can't just walk in at 9:00 AM and wing it.
If we will be closed on Thanksgiving, you need a "re-entry" plan for Friday morning. This means making sure the store is cleaned and stocked on Wednesday night. It means having a brief huddle with the team before the doors open to make sure everyone is on the same page about promotions.
Think about your inventory. Did you order enough of the "loss leaders" to get people through the door? Is your POS system updated with the new prices? There is nothing worse than a line of twenty people and a credit card machine that decides to do a mandatory software update right as you open.
The Nuance of E-commerce
If you run an online store, "closed" means something different. Your website is obviously still "open," but your fulfillment isn't. You need to be crystal clear about shipping delays.
If someone orders on Thursday, when will it actually ship? If you don't tell them it won't go out until Monday, you're setting yourself up for a customer service nightmare. Put a banner at the top of your site. It takes five minutes and saves you five hours of emails later.
Actionable Steps for a Stress-Free Holiday
Stop overthinking it. People expect businesses to be closed on Thanksgiving now. It’s the new normal. Here is how you actually execute this without losing your mind:
- Update your digital footprint today. Go into Google Business, Yelp, and your Facebook page right now. Set those special hours.
- Draft your "We're Closed" email. Keep it short. Maybe include a "sneak peek" of a Friday deal to keep them interested.
- Talk to your staff. Ask them how they feel about the schedule. You might find that someone actually wants to work for the extra pay, which gives you flexibility, but generally, giving the whole team the day off builds massive loyalty.
- Audit your Wednesday prep. The more you do on Wednesday, the less you have to stress about when you're trying to enjoy your own dinner.
- Set the auto-responder. Do this on Wednesday at 5:00 PM. Don't wait.
The bottom line is that your business isn't going to fail because you took 24 hours to breathe. If anything, it’ll be stronger because your team will come back refreshed, and your customers will see you as a brand that actually cares about people over pure profit. That kind of authenticity is exactly what drives long-term success in 2026.
Focus on the Friday rush. Prepare for the Saturday shoppers. But for that one Thursday in November, just let the "Closed" sign do its job. Turn off the work phone. Eat the turkey. The work will still be there when you get back, and honestly, it’ll probably be better for the break.