Memorial Day 2026 falls on Monday, May 25, and the federal holiday will shut down much of the country for the day while keeping plenty of retail and restaurant traffic moving. Banks, USPS locations, the stock market, nonessential government offices, federal and state courts and most public school districts will be closed.
For anyone trying to plan ahead, that means most corporate offices, government agencies and banks will not be operating on Monday, May 25. Most bank branches will be closed, though online banking and ATMs will still be accessible. The United States Post Service will not deliver letters or packages, and USPS locations will also be closed. UPS will not offer pickups or deliveries, and many UPS Store locations will also be shut. At FedEx, only FedEx Custom Critical delivery will be available, while FedEx Office stores will keep modified hours.
The closure list also covers DMV offices, libraries, courthouses and city hall, along with federal and state courts. Most public school districts will also be off for the holiday. But Memorial Day remains one of the busiest retail days on the calendar, and many stores and restaurants will still be open. Walmart stores will operate under regular hours, usually 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., while Kroger stores will be open regular hours and chains such as Trader Joe's, Meijer, Publix, Whole Foods and Food Lion have traditionally stayed open.
Sam's Club will open at 8 a.m. for Plus members and 9 a.m. for Club members before closing at 8 p.m. BJ's warehouses will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Albertsons is open on Memorial Day 2026 with most stores operating from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Costco will be closed. Most restaurant chains, including McDonald's, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin and Wendy's, are expected to remain open, as are major national retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, IKEA, Target, T.J. Maxx and Bass Pro Shops.
That mix of closures and normal hours is why Memorial Day is often treated as the unofficial start of summer. For shoppers, travelers and anyone waiting on mail or banking transactions, the practical answer is simple: handle the essential errands before Monday, because on May 25 the public side of the country largely pauses while much of retail keeps going.
