Banks and post offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7, as Labor Day takes effect across the country. The stock market will also be shut for the holiday, leaving most everyday errands to grocery stores, restaurants and retailers that plan to keep serving customers.
For people searching now, the date matters: Labor Day falls on Monday, Sept. 7 this year, and the long weekend runs from Saturday, Sept. 5 through Monday, Sept. 7. The Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange will be closed Monday and reopen Tuesday, Sept. 8, while the U.S. bond market will also be off for the day.
Gabe Hauari, who signed the story with his X handle @GabeHauari and email [email protected], noted that most Starbucks coffeehouses are open on Labor Day, though hours vary by location. Most grocery chains are also expected to open, but some will trim hours, and Kroger says its stores will keep regular hours while pharmacy and clinic hours may vary.
The pattern is familiar because Labor Day has long been tied to work and the people who do it. The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, and by 1894, 23 more states had adopted it. On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September a national holiday, one meant, in the words of the U.S. Department of Labor, to recognize the social and economic achievements of American workers.
That holiday schedule also creates the week’s only real friction point: the places people most often rely on for quick errands are the ones that shut down, while many of the stores they might stop at on the way home stay open. Walmart, Publix, Trader Joe's and Meijer have traditionally been open on Labor Day, Sam's Club warehouses will open at 8 a.m. for Plus members and 9 a.m. for Club members and close at 8 p.m., and BJ's warehouses will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Costco warehouses will be closed.
Most restaurant chains will remain open, including McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin and Wendy's, and most national retailers will also stay open, including Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, IKEA, Target, TJ Maxx and Bass Pro Shop. The safest move for anyone heading out on the holiday is still to check the local store or restaurant online before leaving home, because hours can change by location and the holiday does not follow a single script. After Monday, the market and many routines snap back on Tuesday, Sept. 8, but the post office and banking break is the one readers need to plan around now.
