Taco Bell and AMC locations will be open, but the Post Office is taking the day off.
There’s a popular bumper sticker you might see around, especially if you live in a town with a strong attachment to manufacturing, that tends to go along the lines of “Do you love your weekend? Thank a union!”
Labor unions were once a widespread cultural force. The first Labor Day parade was held in 1887 in New York City, and that same year, Oregon made it a public holiday. By 1894, it became a federal holiday.
While labor activists and union leaders were among the earliest proponents of the holiday, it’s more generally aimed to honor all workers, and “the laboring classes,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Labor Day Marks the Unofficial end of Summer
Labor Day has long served as the unofficial end of summer. In some areas of the country, school begins the week of Labor Day, though in many other places now, classes begin in August.
While Labor Day is a salute to American workers, not everyone gets the day off.
Many businesses are open on the holiday, and Labor Day sales are a long-standing American tradition.
Labor Day sales exist to attract the attention of people who might take the day off to finally buy that new TV, or to attract parents who need to pick up something for their school-age children. Along with Black Friday and Memorial Day, it’s one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
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What’s Open on Labor Day?
Public parks and beaches: You can almost certainly do one more picnic in the park before the summer ends. From the Grand Canyon to Grand Teton National Park, most national parks are open on Labor Day, but be sure to check with your specific park destination.
Movie theaters: The AMC Entertainment (AMC) – Get AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. Class A Report and Cinemark (CNK) – Get Cinemark Holdings Inc Inc. Report movie chains, among others, are open almost every holiday. Going to the movies also is a great way to escape the heat waves forecast in parts of the U.S. this weekend. Check your local theater for hours and showtimes, in case you still haven’t seen “Nope.”
Book stores: Most Barnes and Noble (BKS) – Get Barnes & Noble, Inc. Report stores will be open on Labor Day, so you can browse the magazine section to your heart’s delight.
Starbucks and Dunkin: America’s favorite coffee chains won’t miss the opportunity to keep Labor Day sale hunters fully caffeinated. Most Starbucks (SBUX) – Get Starbucks Corporation Report and Dunkin (DNKN) – Get Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. Report locations will be open.
The Apple Store: Yup, you can upgrade your iPhone on Labor Day in person, as the Apple store (APPL) will be open.
Drug stores: Chains drug stores such as Rite Aid (RAD) – Get Rite Aid Corporation Report, CVS (CVS) – Get CVS Health Corporation Report and Walgreens (WBA) – Get Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Report are loathe to ever take the day off, because you just never know when your loyal customer base will need some toilet paper. That said, some locations will have limited hours, and many locations will not have their pharmacies open.
Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Big Lots, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Target and Home Depot: None of the big box retailers (Kohl’s (KSS) – Get Kohl’s Corporation Report, Lowe’s, Big Lots (BIG) – Get Big Lots Inc. Report, Sam’s Club, Walmart (WMT) – Get Walmart Inc. Report, Target (TGT) – Get Target Corporation Report and Home Depot (HD) – Get Home Depot Inc. (The) Report) are going to miss out on the Labor Day sales, though some might close a bit early.
While most retail chains remain open on the holidays, Costco’s (COST) – Get Costco Wholesale Corporation Report U.S. warehouses are closed for all major holidays.
Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Kroger, Walmart, Publix: Most chain grocery stores (including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods (owned by Amazon (AMZN) – Get Amazon.com Inc. Report), Kroger (KR) – Get Kroger Company (The) Report, and Walmart (WMT) – Get Walmart Inc. Report) will be open, though some will close early.
Fast food restaurants: If you’re planning a road trip, or you need something to eat on the way home from dropping your kids off at college, America’s fast-food industry is always there to keep you fed on the run, as Arby’s, Burger King (QSR) – Get Restaurant Brands International Inc. Report, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s (MCD) – Get McDonald’s Corporation Report, Panera Bread, Popeyes, Sonic, Subway and Taco Bell (YUM) – Get Yum! Brands Inc. Report will all be open.
Chain restaurants: A family meal is a nice way to celebrate a holiday. Olive Garden (DRI) – Get Darden Restaurants Inc. Report, Ruth’s Chris Steak House (RUTH) – Get Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc. Report, California Pizza Kitchen, Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) , Applebee’s and Bonefish Grill (BLMN) – Get Bloomin’ Brands Inc. Report are all open on Labor Day.
What’s Closed on Labor Day?
Because it’s a federal holiday, most schools, the U.S. Postal Service, local, state and federal offices, banks and, as noted above, Costco warehouses, are closed.
Your local post office will be closed and there won’t be any regular mail delivery on Labor Day, but the USPS says Priority Mail and Express Mail packages may be delivered on that day. FedEX (FDX) – Get FedEx Corporation Report and UPS (UPS) – Get United Parcel Service Inc. Report retail outlets will be closed and don’t expect any deliveries Monday.
The financial markets: Labor Day is a U.S. stock market holiday. Bond markets and U.S. commodities exchanges also are closed. Foreign stock exchanges, however, trade as usual.
