WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� With Thanksgiving and the formal launch of the , Americans will again be consumed with the annual trifecta of turkey, and transactions 鈥� lots of them.
While most big U.S. retailers are closed on , many will open early the following day 鈥� , the unofficial start of the holiday gift-buying season and the biggest shopping day of the year.
Here鈥檚 what is open and closed , and a travel forecast from the experts at AAA auto club.
Government Buildings
Government offices, post offices, courts and schools are closed.
Banks and the stock market
U.S. and banks are closed Thursday; however, markets reopen on Friday for a shortened trading day, wrapping up at 1 p.m. Eastern.
Package Delivery
Standard and pickup and delivery services will not be available on Thanksgiving, although some critical services will be offered at certain locations.
Retailers
will be closed on Thanksgiving but most stores will open at 6 a.m. local time on Black Friday.
Target will be closed on Thanksgiving, but most stores will open at 6 a.m. local time on Black Friday.
will be closed on Thanksgiving, but most stores will have extended hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Black Friday.
Kohl's will be closed on Thanksgiving, but many stores will be open as early as 5 a.m. on Black Friday. Check your local location for hours.
Costco will be closed on Thanksgiving, but will reopen on Black Friday. Check your local store's website for hours.
will close early on Thanksgiving. You can call your local store or check on the CVS Pharmacy website.
Walgreens will close most of its stores on Thanksgiving. Check your local store for more information.
Grocery Stores
Most national grocery store chains are open on Thanksgiving for those last-minute , although many close early. Check your local store for details.
Travel
With most schools closed Thursday and Friday, the long Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
AAA projects a record 79.9 million travelers would head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. For the first time, AAA鈥檚 forecast included the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day to better capture the flow of holiday travelers.
This year鈥檚 projection of nearly 80 million travelers is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019.
Matt Ott, The Associated Press
