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Labor Day 2026: What's Open, Closed, & Store Hours
Labor Day officially closes out summer, and this year it lands on Monday, September 7. Usually, this holiday doesn't shut everything down. Most retailers and restaurant chains keep their doors open, treating it as a normal, if busier, Monday.
What does close is mostly limited to banks, government buildings, and mail delivery. Since individual store hours can still shift by location, it never hurts to call ahead or check a store's website before you head out.
Below is a category-by-category look at what to expect this Labor Day.
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Stores Open on Labor Day
Grocery shopping won't be a problem this year. Most major chains plan to run their normal hours:
- Walmart: Open regular hours nationwide
- Target: Open regular hours, though some locations trim closing time slightly
- Kroger: Operating as usual, including sister brands like Pick 'n Save, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, and Ralphs
- Aldi: Open, but hours vary by location
- Publix: Open regular hours
- Whole Foods: Open, with some local variation
- Trader Joe's: Operating on typical hours
- Home Depot: Open, and often running Labor Day tool and appliance sales
Pharmacies & Convenience Stores
- CVS: Stores and pharmacies remain open, though hours vary by location
- Walgreens: Retail stores follow regular hours, but most pharmacy counters close for the day except at 24-hour locations
Most convenience store and gas station chains plan to stay open as usual for holiday travelers
Stores Closed on Labor Day
A few retailers give employees the full day off:
- Costco: Every U.S. warehouse closes, along with attached pharmacies, tire centers and food courts
- Sam's Club: Stays open but typically closes earlier than usual, often around 6 PM local time
Restaurants Open on Labor Day
Eating out is easy this year. Chains expected to operate on or close to normal hours include:
- Denny's
- Domino's
- Dunkin'
- IHOP
- In-N-Out
- Jack in the Box
- Jersey Mike's
- KFC
- McDonald's
- Noodles & Company
- Olive Garden
- Panera Bread
- Pizza Hut
- Qdoba
- Red Lobster
- Ruth's Chris Steak House
- Sonic
- Starbucks
- Taco Bell
- Waffle House
- Wendy's
Since Labor Day tends to be a heavy dine-out day, calling ahead for a table is a smart move if you have a specific spot in mind.
What's Closed: Banks, Mail, & Government Offices
This is where the holiday actually shows up. Banks, government offices, and financial markets take the day off.
- Major banks, including Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Capital One, PNC, Truist, and U.S. Bank, will have branches closed
- The Federal Reserve is also closed, so wire transfers, direct deposits, and check processing may not clear until Tuesday, September 8
- The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq both close for the holiday, pausing trading until the next business day
- All U.S. Post Office locations are closed, with no regular residential or business mail delivery
- FedEx will not deliver packages on Labor Day, aside from its Custom Critical service, and UPS typically follows a comparable holiday schedule
- Federal offices, courts, DMVs, and public libraries will be closed, along with most state and local administrative buildings
Trash & Recycling Pickup
Whether your trash gets picked up depends entirely on where you live. Some cities shift the whole week's collection schedule back a day, while others aren't affected since pickup isn't typically scheduled for Mondays anyway. Your local sanitation department's website is the most reliable place to check.
Conclusion
Labor Day honors the American workforce and has been a federal holiday since 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed it into law. This year it celebrates more than 155 million workers nationwide. With banks and government offices closed but stores and restaurants largely open, the biggest disruption most people will notice is simply not being able to get to the bank or the post office. Everything else, from groceries to a Labor Day cookout run, should go on pretty much as normal.
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