Starting your holiday shopping at Walmart on Thanksgiving Day has been a tradition for over 30 years. COVID-19 will bring that tradition to an end in 2020.

Last week when we passed along the news that one of the Treasure Valley's favorite Christmas, the Saint Alphonsus Festival of Trees, was going 100% virtual a few of you speculated that we won't even have the opportunity to holiday shop the way we're used to.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

While the holidays are still a few months out, that's definitely the way things seem to be playing out. Walmart just announced they will be closing their doors on Thanksgiving for the first time in over 30 years.

The press release didn't indicate that the closures were a public safety measure, but rather a way to say thank you to their associates who've been asked to step-up throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Walmart's President and CEO hopes that members of the Walmart family will use the extra day off to spend some special time with their families at Thanksgiving.

Last year Walmart kicked off their in-store Black Friday specials on Thanksgiving evening at 6 p.m.

In past years, many of our listeners been vocal about your desire for retail locations to remain closed on Thanksgiving and kick-off their first big holiday sale at 12:01 a.m. or later on Black Friday.

Here are 50 of your favorite retail chains that no longer exist.

More From 104.3 Wow Country