Christmas Day doesn’t leave much room for grocery mistakes.
Most national chains shut their doors for the holiday, but a small number of stores still tend to keep limited hours, depending on location. Read on for a list of grocery chains across the U.S. to see which ones usually stay accessible on Christmas Eve and which may still be open on Christmas Day for last-minute needs.
The safest window is still Dec. 24. Nearly every chain on the list operates with shortened Christmas Eve hours, including Trader Joe’s, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Ralph’s. Closing times vary, but many stores shut down by early evening.
Christmas Day is different.
Only a handful of grocers are typically open, and even then it often depends on the city or region. Some Albertson’s and Safeway locations may open for a limited stretch, though others remain closed. Giant Food stores on the East Coast are often listed as reopening Christmas Day with reduced hours. On the West Coast, Big Saver Foods is one of the few chains the article notes as generally operating on the holiday.
In New York City, Morton Williams has historically kept Christmas Day hours, opening morning through early evening, according to the report.
Convenience-focused stores can also be a fallback. Wawa, which normally runs 24 hours, may still operate on Christmas Day, though the article cautions that some locations adjust hours for major holidays.
Warehouse clubs are not an option. Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s are all closed on Christmas Day. Whole Foods also shuts down nationwide for the holiday, reopening the following morning.
The common thread across the list is uncertainty at the store level. Even chains that sometimes open on Christmas Day don’t do so uniformly, and hours can change year to year. We recommend calling ahead and confirming directly with your local store before heading out.
Ultimately, on Christmas, the margin for error is small, and the open sign, when it exists, is usually the exception rather than the rule.
Source: AOL