Walgreens plans to close most of its locations for Thanksgiving

Walgreens has revealed its store opening and closing plans for the upcoming holiday season.

The retail pharmacy giant plans to close most of its nearly 9,000 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico on Thanksgiving Day, which falls on Nov. 28 this year. Remaining open will be the 500 Walgreens stores that are open 24 hours, including the 300 pharmacies within those locations. Walgreens noted this is the second year in a row it has chosen to close its doors on Thanksgiving to allow employees to spend more time with loved ones.

A small number of Walgreens distribution centers and other sites will also continue to operate on Thanksgiving, including supply chain and centralized teams. The employees in these facilities play an essential role in the company’s readiness to deliver healthcare and convenience for customers and patients leading up to Thanksgiving and through the holiday weekend, Walgreens said.

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“This is just one of the ways we’re acknowledging the dedication of our store team members, pharmacists and pharmacy techs who tirelessly deliver incredible service and patient care every single day,” said Tracey D. Brown, executive VP and president, Walgreens retail & chief customer officer. “We heard incredible feedback from team members about their Thanksgiving holiday last year, so we are excited to extend that tradition once again for them to take a much-deserved break.”

Walgreens will be open on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) and New Year’s Day (Jan. 1).

This story originally appeared on sister publication Chain Store Age.