Veterans Day 2024: Who’s open, closed & giving away freebies

Fast facts

In 2024, Veterans Day is recognized on Monday, November 11, 2024.It is a national federal holiday and a state holiday in 49 out of 50 states — only Wisconsin does not recognize it.Most retail, convenience, and grocery stores will remain open, although federal offices and institutions like the DMV, libraries, schools, and courts will be closed. The United States Postal Service (USPS) will be closed for the day, but UPS will be open and delivering packages. Some, but not all, FedEx services will also be open.While the NYSE and Nasdaq stock markets usually follow the federal holiday calendar, both remain open on Veterans Day. However, the bond market will be closed.

In 2024, Veterans Day will be observed on Monday, November 11, 2024.

Veterans Day is a federal holiday that is recognized each year on the 11th day of November, although if that date falls on a weekend, the holiday is observed on the preceding Friday or the following Monday.

Which states celebrate Veterans Day?

Veterans Day is a federal holiday nationally, and it is also a state holiday recognized by 49 out of 50 states.

Wisconsin is the only state that does not recognize the holiday; instead, it celebrates Armistice Day, which is what the original holiday was called when it was officially established in 1938. Wisconsin state employees still get the day off, however, but as a floating “paid personal holiday.”

The state has made efforts to establish Veterans Day as a state holiday, even introducing legislation in 2022, but while the bill was approved by the Wisconsin Senate, it has yet to pass the Wisconsin Assembly.

Related: 20 of the biggest military discounts on retail, tech, travel, and more in 2024

What’s open on Veterans Day 2024?

It’s business as usual for most for-profit institutions:

Stock markets

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq stock exchange are open on November 11, 2024. Veterans Day is not one of their 10 recognized holidays, and neither of the markets will close early.

Delivery services

In observance of the federal holiday, the U.S. Postal Service is closed on Veterans Day, and mail is not delivered.

However, UPS (UPS) will be making pickups and deliveries, and locations will be open on November 11, although the service notes that deliveries will require an additional business day of transit time.

FedEx (FDX) Ground, Ground Economy, Express, and Freight services will be closed on November 10, while Express and Ground Economy will operate with modified service on November 11. All other FedEx services will be operational on Veterans Day.

Amazon (AMZN) will make deliveries on November 11.

Retailers

Similar to Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day, most retailers, like Target (TGT) , Best Buy (BBY) , Home Depot (HD) , Lowe’s, and Costco (COST) , are open.

Many celebrate Veterans Day by offering sales to customers — and discounts and free items to active duty and retired members of the United States military (see chart below for details).

Related: Costco vs. Sam’s Club: Memberships & product prices compared

Grocery Stores

Harris Teeter, Kroger (KR) , Walmart (WMT) , and Whole Foods will all be open for regular hours on Veterans Day.

Fast food

McDonald’s (MCD) , Wendy’s (WEN) , Starbucks (SBUX) , Subway, and Popeye’s will also be open on November 11, as well as most chain convenience stores like 7-Eleven and CVS (CVS) .

National parks

All of the country’s national parks will be open, and the U.S. Park Service celebrates Veterans Day by offering free admission to all visitors on November 11. Keep in mind that some entrances and campgrounds may be closed for the winter season, and check the NPS’ website for closures and other active alerts.

Related: The 5 newest national parks: Where they are & when to visit

Local businesses

According to Indeed, while all federal and most state workers enjoy a paid holiday on Veterans Day, most small businesses employees do not: Only 11% of small businesses offer their employees a paid day off for Veterans Day, making the holiday the least-popular paid holiday (President’s Day came in second with 19% of employers offering that day off).

What is closed on Veterans Day?

Unlike on Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day, most banks and schools are closed on Veterans Day.

Banks

Since banks typically follow the Federal Reserve holiday schedule, you can expect your local banking branch to be closed on November 11, although ATMs will remain open.

Schools

While there is no legal requirement to close schools on federal holidays, most states and their school districts observe Veterans Day by giving students and staff the day off.

Which stores offer Veterans Day discounts and freebies?

To understand the present, you must revisit the past. Nearly 50 years ago, the Vietnam War was a controversial, decades-long conflict that many believed was simply unwinnable. The U.S. government conscripted soldiers through the use of the draft, which forced many young American men, particularly those representing lower socioeconomic backgrounds, into fighting a war they did not believe in.

Vets returning home were not only scarred with battle wounds and mental trauma; they were also often treated with resentment and hostility, and negatively portrayed in pop culture through films like The Deer Hunter (1978) and Coming Home (1978).

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After the war, the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982 in Washington, DC, helped change perceptions. Designed by Maya Lin, the etched letters of the 58,000 names in black granite served as a reminder to everyone of the personal cost of battle, and became a place of healing and remembrance. It now attracts over 5 million annual visitors and has become one of the most visited sites in Washington, DC.

Through increased access to health resources and counseling for veterans, particularly those suffering from PTSD, raised awareness of the health consequences of Agent Orange, which was used extensively throughout the conflict, and advocacy efforts that resulted in improved veterans’ benefits and access to healthcare, the treatment of veterans evolved over time.

As their way of saying “thank you for your service,” a wide range of restaurants and retailers offer discounts to active-duty and retired members of the U.S. military on Veterans Day.

We’ve rounded up a list:

Veterans Day 2024 discounts and freebies

How do you spell Veterans Day?

Confusion abounds when it comes to the spelling of the day we salute those who serve. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the authority on the subject, the word veterans is spelled in the plural form, with an “s.” It does not include an apostrophe, because it is a day that honors all veterans, not just one.

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What is Veterans Day? A short history

Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day, and November 11 had special significance in 1918, when at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, the Armistice of Germany took effect, formally ending World War I.

Other countries also mark this occasion — they call it Remembrance Day.

Beginning in 1926, President Calvin Coolidge issued proclamations calling for the observance of Armistice Day with ceremonies, and in 1938, the U.S. Congress made the day a legal holiday.

The “Father of Veterans Day,” World War II veteran Raymond Weeks, petitioned to expand Armistice Day to include all veterans, not only those who served in World War I, and the first national celebration took place in 1947.

In 1954, the U.S. Congress established Armistice Day as a federal holiday, renaming it as Veterans Day in the process.

Several big-name retailers and restaurants offer active duty and retired members of the U.S. Armed Forces discounts and freebies on Veterans Day.

MoMo Productions; Getty Images

An interesting fact is that the Veterans Day holiday moved around the calendar through the years: Between 1971 and 1977, it was observed on the fourth Monday of October. In 1978, it moved back to November 11, although if the date falls on a weekend, the federal government observes the holiday on a Friday or Monday.

Like Memorial Day, Veterans Day is a federal holiday devoted to the country’s armed forces. The difference is that Memorial Day honors soldiers who have lost their lives in military service, while Veterans Day honors those who served in the military, both living and dead.

In 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law an act observing two minutes of silence to honor fallen soldiers. It takes place at 2:11 pm ET on November 11, marking the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour.

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