When you own a retail store, every minute you’re not open is time spent not generating sales. You can argue that there are some times when the cost of keeping the lights on and having employees would be more expensive than simply closing.
In most cases, those times are actually pretty rare. It does cost more money to open than to be closed, but if you schedule your staff accordingly, it’s generally more profitable to open your doors.
Related: Amazon diaper deals, formula sales equal crappy news for parents
Major retailers in heavily populated places generally operate more hours, and we’re really close. That’s because they have a large customer base, and not everyone works from 9 to 5.
There are some restaurants, for example, that remain open on major holidays. Go to a Chinese food restaurant on Christmas Eve, when many other eateries are closed, and you will often have a long line.
Even though the most widely celebrated holidays, there are people who don’t celebrate, don’t have families, or have work schedules that force them to celebrate at alternate times. Those people appreciate that some stores stay open, and they can still have somewhat of a normal day, even if it’s not the day most people are having.
💵💰Don’t miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet’s free daily newsletter💰
Starbucks, for example, always keeps some of its stores open. Those locations are often packed with long drive-through lines.
It may seem obvious to close on a major holiday, but doing so leaves some money on the table and prevents you from meeting the needs of all your customers.
Starbucks keeps some locations open on every holiday.
Image source: Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images
Closing for holidays is actually a tough call
A few years ago, there started to be a backlash about black Friday and retailers opening in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day. In response, more companies closed, and a lot of people applauded companies for giving workers the time off.
What many people are not seeing is that most retail workers are paid hourly. If a store closes, they generally lose money. In addition, some major retailers pay higher rates for holidays, like they often do for late-night shifts.
Many retail workers simply assume they are going to work on major holidays. At stores like Target they have very sophisticated apps for their workers, people can trade shifts, and often be home at the times it’s most important for them.
More Retail:
Walmart CEO sounds alarm on a big problem for customersTarget makes a change that might scare Walmart, CostcoTop investor takes firm stance on troubled retail brand
It seems easy and noble to say that every retailer should shut down on Federal holidays, at least the major ones, but it’s not that simple. If a grocery store opens for at least part of the day on Easter, Christmas, or Thanksgiving, it will likely do good business.
That’s why some chains do stay open nearly 365 days a year. Publix, however, a grocery chain that seems like it never closes, it does shut down three times a year.
Publix will close its doors
Publix operates nearly 2,000 stores across the Southeast. In some markets, it’s the dominant grocery chain with stores located no more than three miles apart.
The grocery chain is very large and the company shared just how big it is on its website:
We are the largest employee-owned company in the United States. We are one of the 10 largest-volume supermarket chains in the country. Our retail sales in 2024 reached $59.7 billion. Currently, we employ over 260,000 people.
The chain is also open 362 days per year. It only closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. That’s one more day per year than Walmart, which only shuts down for Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Related: Costco will soon do something it only does 7 times a year
It’s actually so rare that a Publix closes down that the chain has a store status page on its website. This page would show if construction, weather, or some other special circumstances caused a store to close.
“All stores and pharmacies will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 20th,” it currenly shares.
