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Most retailers and grocers are closed on Christmas so staff can spend time with the family, but remain open on Christmas Eve with adjusted hours. That still leaves the debate about how early to close on Christmas Eve.
Closing early appears to benefit store associates that gain an early jump on holiday celebrations or related travel plans. Some retailers may pay time and a half or double pay for working Christmas Eve, although it’s not required.
Closing later helps extreme last-minute Christmas shoppers as well as home cooks scrambling for Christmas cookie ingredients or forgotten essentials for the Christmas meal.
According to closing times on Christmas Eve gathered by media outlets including USA Today, Axios, Today, Yahoo, CBS News, and Fast Company, the most popular time to close on Christmas Eve is 6 p.m. local time. Many store hours vary by location.
Chains closing at 6 p.m. include Walmart, Lowe’s, Belk, Dillard’s, Apple, REI, Bass Pro, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ulta, Barnes & Noble, Michaels, Tractor Supply, Staples, Office Depot and PetSmart. Most Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Sephora, and Old Navy locations close at 6 p.m. although times vary.
Several close slightly later, at 7 p.m., including Best Buy, Macy's, Kohl's, Meijer, Academy Sports + Outdoors, and Petco. Target stands out among major chains for closing at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Among the early closers, Home Depot and IKEA lock up at 5 p.m. Costco closes at 5 p.m. while competitors, Sam’s Club and B.J.’s Wholesale Club, close at 6 p.m.
Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works appear to the earliest close among gift-giving chains, closing at 4 p.m. Most enclosed malls close at 6 p.m. and stores inside the mall close generally close when the mall closes.
Grocers Tend to Close Slightly Later on Christmas Eve
Among grocers, the most popular time to close on Christmas Eve appears to be 7 p.m., with those picking that time slot including Food Lion, Giant Food, Harris Teeter, Meijer, Publix, King Soopers, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Whole Foods.
Aldi and Cub Foods take the early-close prize among grocers with a Christmas Eve closing time of 4 p.m., with Trader Joe's, Weis Markets, Giant Eagle, and Hy-Vee closing at 5 p.m. Grocers closing at 6 p.m. include Lidl, Hannaford, Jewel-Osco, Stop & Shop, and Shaw’s.
Grocers closing later include H-E-B and Fresh Market, both closing at 8 p.m; Winn-Dixie, closing at 9 p.m., and Ralphs, 10 p.m. Most Kroger banners close between 6 to 8 p.m.