Stores Opening Early on Black Friday 2020

The 2020 holiday season continues to be anything but normal. Many retailers have ditched traditional Black Friday sale events on the weekend after Thanksgiving, opting instead to host pre-Black Friday events leading up to that fateful weekend. Some retailers are hosting events the entire month of November while others are hosting only weeklong events during the week of Thanksgiving.

Over the summer, many of the biggest retailers announced that they would be closed on Thanksgiving. For some of these retail stores, it marks the first time their locations have ever been closed on this particular holiday. Though only a few stores confirmed their closed-Thanksgiving Day status at first, it didn’t take long for the retail dominos to fall.

We’re down to only a few retail locations that have chosen to stay open on Thanksgiving Day. As more and more Black Friday plans continue to drop, we’ve noticed that another retail domino has begun to fall: Several of the biggest retail stores will still be open bright and early on Black Friday.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the U.S., many retailers have had to revamp their entire in-store experience to help shoppers feel safe. While several stores have adopted curbside pickup options for contactless shopping, many retail locations have ramped up the ways in which customers check out throughout the store in an effort to improve social distancing measures.

Stores that will open early on Black Friday

Here is the list of stores that have confirmed what times their doors will open on Black Friday. We will continue to update this list as more stores confirm their plans for the holiday season.

Best Buy

Opens: 5 a.m. local time

Best Buy will be hosting several pre-Black Friday sales during the lead-up to its big Black Friday event this year. They will also be opening early on Black Friday, but all of their sales will be available online. Best Buy is also offering curbside pickup and in-store pickup to help provide contactless shopping options.

Belk

Opens: 7 a.m. local time

Even though Belk will be open early on Black Friday, they are running two different promotions during the holiday season to help promote contactless shopping. The first promotion runs from Nov. 4 until Dec. 24 and gives shoppers the chance at getting their entire order (limited to $575) for free if using curbside pickup. Additionally, all shoppers who choose curbside pickup at Belk will save 10% on their order.

JCPenney

Opens: 5 a.m. local time

JCPenney will be opening their doors quite early this year, though all of their sale pricing is available online for shoppers wanting to stay at home during the pandemic. JCPenney is also offering curbside pickup and has added curbside returns at various locations. Shoppers wanting to take advantage of curbside orders will need to place their orders before 5 p.m. to pick up the same day. If taking advantage of the curbside return, make sure to determine which locations in your area offer it before heading to the store.

Kohl’s

Opens: 5 a.m. local time

Kohl’s has had to make major changes to their operations due to COVID-19. At the end of March, upon facing further store closings due to the pandemic, Kohl’s launched their curbside pickup service — offered between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily — as an option to help keep business going. They will be open early on Black Friday and shoppers aiming for contactless shopping can utilize their curbside options.

Walmart

Opens: 5 a.m. local time

Walmart is limiting shoppers to going down specific sides of aisles as they shop Black Friday deals in an effort to control how close customers stand near one another. Walmart will also be monitoring the number of customers inside the store to help control crowd sizes and to maintain maximum occupancy, governed by the state guidelines, during the pandemic.