If you’re a Walmart shopper then you probably get excited about Thanksgiving weekend shopping. After all, you have the opportunity to get great deals for the Black Friday weekend. However, everything is different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s right; even the Walmart Thanksgiving schedule differs in 2020 from years past. Learn all about it here.
Before Thanksgiving, Get a Free Meal From Walmart
One of the most exciting announcements from Walmart this season was that you can get a free Thanksgiving meal from the store! They’ve teamed up with Ibotta to give you 100% cashback on what amounts to a full dinner. Why would they do this? Well, it’s because they recognize the hardships that people are facing this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge strain on people economically and emotionally. Whether or not you get the chance to celebrate in person with your family this year, they want you to be able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
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Here’s how it works:
- Download the Ibotta app. Of course, if you’re a savvy shopper, then you might already have this app. After all, it’s an easy way to get cash back for the shopping you do regularly.
- Add any or all of the following nine items to your Walmart list:
- Butterball turkey breast roast
- McCormick gravy, 0.87 oz. pouch
- Great Value stuffing mix, 6 oz.
- Idahoan mashed potatoes, 8 oz. pouch
- Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom soup, 10.5 oz. can
- Great Value cranberry sauce, 14 oz.
- Great Value green beans, 12 oz.
- Frenchy’s crispy fried onions, 2.8 oz.
- Coca-Cola, 2 liter bottle
- Shop at Walmart to get those items. You have options. On one hand, you can use the Ibotta app in the Walmart store to get the free meal. On the other hand, you can order Walmart pickup/delivery online. However, you’ll have to link your Ibotta account to that online order.
In other words, if you haven’t learned to use Ibotta yet, then now is the perfect time. You can get turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and soda pop for free! However, you have to make the purchase before Thanksgiving Day, because the new Walmart Thanksgiving Schedule means the store will close on the holiday.
Walmart Closes for Thanksgiving Day
Usually, Walmart is open on Thanksgiving Day. However, they’ve changed that this year. In fact, this is the first year in the past three decades that Walmart has opted to close its doors on Thanksgiving. Like their Thanksgiving meal offer, they’ve made this Walmart Thanksgiving schedule decision as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CEO made the announcement, saying that Walmart recognizes how hard this year has been for everyone. Moreover, they want their employees to know that they as a company are grateful for how much the employees have stepped up to keep their doors open during this trying time.
Therefore, while it might be frustrating that Walmart is closed on Thanksgiving this year if you discover last minute that you need something, try to remember the reason behind the unusual closure. They’ve chosen this Walmart Thanksgiving schedule strategically to recognize their employees as well as to keep everyone safe during the holidays.
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Walmart Black Friday Hours and Deals
Usually, shoppers get very excited about heading to the store for Black Friday Deals. Of course, that’s different this year as well. Many people are concerned about the coronavirus risks posed by crowded shopping areas. In fact, many counties and states have significantly reduced retail shopping capacity. Therefore, even shoppers who wouldn’t mind the risk will find that they can’t just barge into the store at any hour without waiting in a line first. It’s just different this year.
Walmart, as well as several others stores, recognizes that change. They don’t want to encourage people to come crowd the stores for one big shopping weekend. Instead, they’ve opted to host a series of Black Friday deals throughout November. The store announced last month that they would forego a single day or weekend of big deals in favor of three separate events called Black Friday Deals for Days. They’re calling it a “reinvented Black Friday shopping experience,” which they’ve created because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first two events in the series have already passed, with deals starting in store on November 7th. New deals were released November 14th. Hopefully you got the chance to get some early holiday shopping done at a discount. If not, though, you do still have the final event in the series, which is the official Black Friday Walmart Sale.
Shopping In Store for Walmart’s Black Friday Deals
Stores will open at 5 am on the Friday following Thanksgiving for people who want to head to Walmart for discounted shopping. Here are some of the COVID-19 changes that you should know:
- Store associates will ask customers to form a single line outside the store before it opens.
- They will limit the number of customers allowed in the store at one time. This may delay prolong the shopping experience, with a wait in the line, but will help keep everyone safe.
- Associates will hand you sanitized shopping carts as you enter.
- You can only enter the store if you wear a mask.
- In the store, they’ll ask that you only shop down the right-hand side of each aisle.
All of this should help keep people safe while shopping.
Shop Online for Walmart’s Black Friday Deals
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walmart encourages people to take advantage of the opportunity to do Black Friday shopping online at their website. In fact, the deals that you can get starting at 5 am on Friday in the store are actually available early online. They will reveal early deals on 11/25 and 7 pm ET online only. Then they will reveal additional deals online 11/27 at 12 am ET. When you order online at Walmart, you can opt for delivery to your home or for contactless curbside pickup at the store.
Read More:
- Retail Stores Thanksgiving Schedule 2020
- What’s Open and Closed for Thanksgiving 2020
- Is The Post Office Open on Thanksgiving?
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