Not every day on the federal holiday calendar closes stores. Thanksgiving and Christmas shut down retail almost entirely, and holidays like Memorial Day and Labor Day come with big sales but zero closures. Then there's a third category: MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day. These are real federal holidays - banks close, the post office stops, government offices and most schools are shut - but if you walk into a grocery store, a Target, or a Home Depot, you would never know it's a holiday at all.
The Four Bank-Only Holidays in 2026
| Holiday | 2026 Date | Retail Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, January 19, 2026 | Regular hours everywhere. A quiet shopping day with light promotional activity. |
| Presidents' Day | Monday, February 16, 2026 | The biggest sale day of this group - mattress, furniture, and appliance discounts are heavy. |
| Columbus Day | Monday, October 12, 2026 | Regular hours, with modest furniture and mattress sales following the Presidents' Day playbook. |
| Veterans Day | Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | Regular retail hours, plus widespread free-meal and discount offers for veterans and active military. |
All four dates are federal holidays, so banks, the post office, and government offices close. Individual store hours can vary by location - always confirm your specific store if you're planning a trip.
What Actually Closes
The closure list is identical across all four holidays. Banks and credit unions close their branches, though ATMs and mobile/online banking keep working normally. The Post Office and other USPS services close - no mail delivery, no retail counter service. Federal offices close, along with most state and local government offices, public schools, and the stock market on any of these dates that fall on a trading day.
What Stays Open
Everything else. Walmart, Target, and Kroger run their standard daily hours on all four holidays. Home Depot and Lowe's stay open and frequently use these dates for appliance and seasonal promotions. Walgreens and CVS pharmacies operate on their normal schedule. Restaurants, grocery stores, discount retailers, department stores, electronics stores, and auto parts stores all treat these as regular business days.
Presidents' Day: The Exception That Runs Sales
Of the four, Presidents' Day stands out. It's become one of the biggest mattress, furniture, and appliance sale weekends of the year - a tradition that dates back decades and shows no sign of slowing down. Home Depot and Lowe's both run major appliance discounts, and mattress brands like Sealy, Serta, and Tempur-Pedic use the weekend to clear inventory ahead of spring lineups. If you've been holding off on a big-ticket purchase, this is one of the stronger weekends to buy.
Columbus Day: A Smaller Version of the Same Pattern
Columbus Day (also observed as Indigenous Peoples' Day in many states and cities) follows the same open-for-business pattern, with modest furniture and mattress sales that echo Presidents' Day on a smaller scale. Some retailers have shifted their marketing away from the "Columbus Day" name toward generic "Fall Sale" branding, but the store hours and shopping opportunity are unchanged either way.
Veterans Day: Discounts for Military, Not Deals for Everyone
Veterans Day is different again. Retail sales tied to the day are less common than on Presidents' Day, but restaurant chains lean in hard with military-discount programs - free or discounted meals for veterans and active-duty service members at places like Applebee's, Chili's, Olive Garden, and Denny's, usually with proof of service required. Home Depot and Lowe's both offer a standing 10% military discount that gets extra promotion around November 11th.
MLK Day: The Quietest of the Four
Martin Luther King Jr. Day sees the least retail promotion of the group. Stores stay fully open, and the main effect is a bump in daytime shopping traffic from people who have the day off work or school, but there's no signature sale tradition attached to it the way there is for Presidents' Day.
How This Compares to the Major Closure Holidays
It's worth contrasting these four against the holidays that actually do close stores. Thanksgiving and Christmas Day shut down the vast majority of retail. Easter Sunday closes most department and specialty stores. Meanwhile Memorial Day and Labor Day sit closer to MLK Day and Presidents' Day on the spectrum - federal holidays with bank and government closures, but open, sale-friendly retail. If you're trying to remember which category a given holiday falls into, the rule of thumb is simple: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter close stores; every other federal holiday just closes the bank.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which holidays close banks but not stores?
MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day all close banks, the post office, and government offices, but almost every retail store stays open with regular hours.
Is today a bank holiday?
Banks close for 11 federal holidays a year, including all four covered here plus New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Of those, only Thanksgiving and Christmas typically close most retail stores too.
Why do stores stay open on bank holidays?
Bank and government office closures are set by federal law for those institutions' employees. Retailers aren't bound by that rule, so most treat these as normal - or extra busy - business days.
Are Presidents' Day and Columbus Day good days to shop for deals?
Presidents' Day is one of the best mattress, furniture, and appliance sale weekends of the year. Columbus Day follows a smaller version of the same pattern. MLK Day and Veterans Day see fewer general sales, though Veterans Day brings strong military-discount promotions.