Is Walmart open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday?

Walmart
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Want to know Walmart Black Friday hours? We can help with that. While Walmart stores won't be open 24/7 as they were in the heyday of Black Friday, they will be operating roughly the same hours as last year.

In the past, Walmart's 24-hour superstores would open Thanksgiving at 6pm and stay open all night into Black Friday, but with Walmart's new policies concerning stocking and cleaning its stores safely – introduced in 2020, at the height of the pandemic – stores can't stay open overnight anymore.

You won't be able to go inside a Walmart store at all over Thanksgiving (November 25), though you can gain entry on the following day as Black Friday kicks off.

Plus, Walmart.com will obviously be 'open' 24/7 with new deals, including during holidays and off-hours when the stores are closed.

Is Walmart open on Thanksgiving 2021?

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It's practically an American Thanksgiving tradition that Walmart and other stores open their doors Thursday evening and keep the doorbusters flowing in all night long. However, as we saw in 2020, Walmart stores across the US will close their doors for the entirety of Thanksgiving this year and open at 5am the next day instead.

Walmart Black Friday hours 2021

Walmart has officially unveiled its Black Friday store hours, which begin at 5am on Friday 26 November, and end at 11pm the same day.

Of course, Walmart operates 24/7 online, so there's no real time restriction on nabbing some Black Friday deals. Walmart is also operating extended delivery hours for the holiday season by a full two hours. In a blog post, Walmart states that "drivers will be making deliveries from stores to doors until 10pm local time. This allows customers to place orders up to 6pm for same-day or next-day deliveries."

An image of a Walmart store at night

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Walmart Black Friday 2021: in-store precautions

Walmart has outlined all of the measures it will take to ensure that customers and employees are safe while rushing for Black Friday deals in person. 

"Customers will form a single, straight line to enter the store," Walmart explained in its blog post. Its employees will "meter customers into the store to help reduce congestion and promote social distancing inside stores."

You may arrive at 5am sharp, but depending on the number of people, you'll likely have to wait much longer to get inside than in previous years. The Walmart associates will need to leave room for shoppers to stay apart in popular sections like Electronics, as well as room for people to line up their carts to check out.

Once it's your turn to go in, you'll be given a sanitized shopping carts by an associate, and will be reminded to put on a mask. Inside the store, you'll be guided down the right-hand side of aisles and asked to socially distance from others as you look for the best deals.

Assuming you and your fellow customers remain orderly, you hopefully won't see the same rushing and jostling that you would have in previous Black Fridays at Walmart.

Walmart Black Friday deals so far

You can check out our Walmart Black Friday hub for all of the latest confirmed deals, or check out some of the live deals below.

1. Apple AirPods Pro: $189 $159 at Walmart
Save $30 -

1. Apple AirPods Pro: $189 $159 at Walmart
Save $30 -
Apple's premium wireless earbuds are available to buy for less at Walmart this Black Friday. It doesn't look like the steepest discount ever, but you're getting your money's worth with great noise cancellation, a comfy fit and overall superb sound.

2. Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 8-quart: $99.95 $59.00 at Walmart
Save $41

2. Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 8-quart: $99.95 $59.00 at Walmart
Save $41
- This 41% discount on Instant Pot's entry-level multi cooker brings the model down to its lowest price ever. It has an 8-quart capacity, which Instant (the brand behind the appliance) says is enough for eight portions. Simple to use, on test, we found the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 produced tender meat in stews within 60 minutes. This is a new record-low for the model, too. 

3. Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones: $349 $249 at Walmart
Save $100 -

3. Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones: $349 $249 at Walmart
Save $100 -
If you're looking for the best headphones you can buy at a reasonable price, Walmart is one of three retailers along with Amazon and Best Buy hosting a huge discount on the Sony WH-1000XM4s right now. This offer isn't to be missed, as the pair rarely goes on sale cheaper than this.

4. Gateway Notebook 11.6-inch Touchscreen 2-in-1, 4GB RAM, 64GB HD: $199 $149 at Walmart
Save $50

4. Gateway Notebook 11.6-inch Touchscreen 2-in-1, 4GB RAM, 64GB HD: $199 $149 at Walmart
Save $50
- This 11.6-inch 2-in-1 from Gateway is the ultimate portable notebook that brings crystal-clear picture for all of your tasks, perfect for school or light day-to-day tasks like web browsing.

5. iRobot Roomba i1+ Wi-Fi Connected Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum: $579 $349 at Walmart

5. iRobot Roomba i1+ Wi-Fi Connected Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum: $579 $349 at Walmart
Make cleaning easier with this self-emptying, Wi-Fi-connected robot vacuum cleaner. It cleans in neat rows and has patented dirt-detect technology to give more attention to the dirtier areas of your home.

Walmart Plus logo

Black Friday and Walmart Plus

If you do plan to shop in-store for your deals, you may want to invest in Walmart Plus. While its main purpose is ordering groceries online, it has a perk for in-store shopping that will make getting in and out of Walmart with your deals much quicker.

Anyone can use the Walmart app, but only Walmart Plus members can use the Mobile Scan & Go feature. With it, you literally scan your items in your shopping cart as you go. Then, once you're done, you pay with your stored credit card info, swipe a QR code at self-checkout, and you're done!

Using this method, you can track how big your virtual cart is as you shop, and make sure all of these doorbusters won't bust your bank account too badly. Then, after you check out, you can simply show an associate your Exit Pass and receipt, and leave while everyone else waits in long lines for a cashier.

Along with Mobile Scan & Go, you also get one-hour delivery and pickup windows when ordering groceries from your local Walmart, as well as 5 cents off gas at participating stations. Not that you'll care about shopping for food during Black Friday; but it's nice to know that a Walmart Plus membership will benefit you throughout the year, not just during busy holiday shopping hours.

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Henry St Leger

Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.

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