Target Made A Big Change To Store Hours Holiday Shoppers Will Love

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It's the most wonderful time of the year, but if you're as enthusiastic as Clark Griswold, it's probably the most stressful time of the year too. From decorating and finding the perfect presents to planning Christmas table decor and the meals that go along with it, you might feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished. To make meal prep, gift giving, and decorating a little easier, Target is introducing big changes nationwide this holiday season with extended hours. 

Though each store's hours will vary by location, the retailer is extending its opening hours from Sunday, November 29 through Wednesday, December 23 all across the country, providing shoppers with more opportunities to cross items off their to-do list. For recent holiday seasons, Target applied a blanket program for most stores, keeping them open from 7 a.m. to midnight during the extended hours period, but this year's announcement indicated a bit more flexibility from one location to the next. If you're curious what this news means for your local store, you can check out updated schedules on the Target website's Store Locator. And to make the shopping season a bit more navigable and energizing, Target's debut Deal of the Day offers promotional previews through December 24, an inside scoop that allows you to plan even more thoroughly. 

Now that you're brainstorming holiday decorating ideas, scoping out the best toys for your little ones, and getting your house ready for gatherings, you're going to need a few trips to the store to get everything situated. Although Target does have extended hours throughout the holiday season, things differ on the holidays themselves. On Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, stores nationwide will close early by 8 p.m. local time. On Friday, Christmas Day, all stores across the country will be closed. Make your list and check it twice, because you won't be able to stop by for an impromptu ingredient that you might be missing. 

The craze will die down as you begin to switch Christmas decor to New Year's Eve paraphernalia. And if any of your gift ideas don't pan out, the extended hours for holiday shopping also run alongside the extended return window. Purchases made between November 1 and December 24 are able to be returned starting December 26, following Target's normal refund-exchange policies. As far as shopping goes, hours will go back to a somewhat regular schedule following Christmas Day: All stores will be open on New Year's Eve, and store hours will vary by location on New Year's Day. Check your local store, and plan accordingly.