Easter Shopping Blackout: Here’s a List of All the Stores Closed on April 20

Several stores will be closed on April 20 due to the upcoming Easter shopping blackout, which is the same day that many Christians around the world will be celebrating Easter Sunday. This will allow retail workers to spend time with their families. Let’s take a look at all the stores closed on that day.

Easter Shopping Blackout: A List of Closed Stores

The US Sun is reporting that Sam’s Club will be closing more than 600 stores nationwide to participate in the Easter shopping blackout, joining longtime rival Costco in the practice. Additional stores that are set to be closed on April 20 include ALDI, Publix, Best Buy, Macy’s, T.J.Maxx, and Marshalls.

Target, too, will also be participating in the Easter shopping blackout, closing nearly 2,000 locations for 24 hours so that celebrating employees can spend the day with their families.

The full list of stores that are expected to be closed for Easter include:

• Target
• Costco
• ALDI
• Sam’s Club
• Publix
• JCPenney
• Kohl’s
• Macy’s
• H-E-B
• Michaels
• Lowe’s
• Best Buy
• Marshalls
• T.J.Maxx

However, there are several other stores that are slated to be open on Easter Sunday, meaning that the corporate stores will not be participating in the Easter shopping blackout. These stores include:

• CVS
• Dollar General
• Whole Foods
• Home Depot
• Kroger
• Trader Joe’s
• Walgreens
• Walmart
• Dollar Tree

It is unclear, however, whether these stores will have regular business hours or whether the hours will be affected by the Easter holiday. Check with your local store for details.

The decision to participate in an Easter shopping blackout is primarily dependent on economic factors, according to Scott Y. Stuart, CEO of Turnaround Management Association. “While that changes during different cycles, this one being a post pandemic cycle where the convalescence of a host of factors, including online market place, work from home affecting urban center traffic, commercial real estate costs, and normal pressures effacing consumer spending, and changes in consumer habits, are all at play right now,” he said to the outlet.

Should Stores Close for Major Holidays?

Easter shopping blackout notwithstanding, some stores have been wrestling with the concept of closing for the holidays, even on Christmas.

In recent years, numerous businesses, including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Macy’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, have closed stores on Thanksgiving, partly to limit crowds during the pandemic and partly to show thanks to employees. Target stated in 2021 that it would permanently close its locations on Thanksgiving.

On Christmas Eve, supermarkets are frequently crowded with last-minute shoppers, but most retailers, including grocers, close early, about 6 or 7 p.m. Costco, IKEA, and Home Depot stand out for closing their stores at 5 p.m.

It’s interesting to note that these same stores are participating in the Easter shopping blackout.

Since 2015, REI has received widespread media coverage for its decision to close stores on Black Friday in order to encourage customers to spend time outside. And in 2023, the company made headlines when it announced that it would be closing for the Christmas Eve holiday.

“It’s been a longtime goal of mine to close the stores on Christmas Eve,” said Aaron Walters, chairman and CEO of Stand Out For Good, in a statement. “Our team works so hard to make the Christmas season happen, and they deserve to rest and relax at home with their families.”

The other locations controlled by the Knoxville, Tennessee-based corporation also closed for the holiday. It has 118 Altar’d State stores, 32 Arula boutiques, 10 Vow’d boutiques, nine AS Revival stores, and seven Tullabee boutiques in 38 states.

Stand Out For Good, Inc., the parent company of the “faith-based” women’s fashion store, stated that while Dec. 24 is one of its busiest days, allowing colleagues to spend time with family outweighs the benefits.