Department Store Hours Guide

Typical Department Store Hours

Department stores run on a different clock than grocery stores or pharmacies. You will not find a department store opening at 6:00 AM on a Tuesday - there is just no demand for buying shoes and towels at dawn. The standard window for most department stores is roughly 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekdays, which lines up with when people actually want to browse clothing racks and home goods.

The two big exceptions are Walmart and Target. Both operate more like general merchandise stores than traditional department stores, and their hours reflect that. Walmart opens at 6:00 AM and stays open until 11:00 PM. Target runs from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. If you need to pick up something before work or late at night, these two are your best options by a wide margin.

Traditional department stores - Macy's, Nordstrom, JCPenney, Dillard's - tend to open later and close earlier. Most open at 10:00 AM or 11:00 AM and close by 8:00 or 9:00 PM. Weekend hours are usually the same as or slightly shorter than weekday hours.

Mall Stores vs. Standalone Locations

One thing that catches people off guard: department store hours often depend on whether the store is inside a mall or standing on its own. Mall-based locations follow the mall's operating schedule, which can vary by property. A Macy's inside a busy urban mall might stay open until 9:30 PM, while the same chain in a smaller suburban mall could close at 8:00 PM.

Standalone locations generally set their own hours and tend to stick closer to the typical schedule. Kohl's is almost always a standalone store, which is one reason its hours are more consistent across locations. Nordstrom Rack stores (the off-price locations) also operate independently from Nordstrom full-line stores inside malls.

If you are heading to a mall-based department store, check the mall's hours first. During holiday shopping season, malls often extend hours significantly - staying open until 10:00 or 11:00 PM from Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas Eve.

Off-Price Department Stores

Off-price retailers like Ross, Burlington, and TJ Maxx operate on slightly different schedules than full-price department stores. They tend to open earlier (9:00 AM) and close later (10:00 PM), giving them wider daily windows.

This makes sense when you think about who shops there. Off-price stores attract a broader range of shoppers including families, bargain hunters, and people fitting shopping into a packed schedule. Longer hours mean more foot traffic and more transactions, which matters when your business model depends on volume.

Ross and Burlington both keep consistent hours across the week - no significant difference between Monday and Saturday. Sunday hours are slightly shorter, typically closing 30 minutes to an hour earlier.

Luxury Department Stores

On the other end of the spectrum, luxury department stores keep the shortest hours. Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's are rarely open before 10:00 AM and often close by 7:00 or 8:00 PM. Sunday hours are particularly short - some Neiman Marcus locations do not open until noon and close by 6:00 PM.

The reasoning is straightforward: luxury retail depends on a smaller number of high-value transactions. These stores do not need to be open at 7:00 AM to capture early morning traffic. Their customers shop during traditional retail hours and expect a curated, unhurried experience - not a late-night dash through the aisles.

Department Store Holiday Hours

Holidays are where department store schedules get interesting. Some holidays are the busiest shopping days of the year, while others mean locked doors.

Department stores treat holidays differently than grocery stores. For groceries, a holiday means quieter stores and reduced hours. For department stores, holidays like Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day are major sale events with heavier foot traffic than a normal weekday. Plan accordingly if you want the deals but hate crowds.

Black Friday and Holiday Season Hours

The holiday shopping season from late November through Christmas transforms department store schedules. Starting on Black Friday and running through Christmas Eve, most department stores extend their hours by 2-3 hours in each direction.

During this period, expect something like this:

• Macy's - Black Friday: 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Holiday season: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM most days.
• Kohl's - Black Friday: 5:00 AM to midnight. Holiday season: 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
• Target - Black Friday: 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM (moved away from ultra-early openings). Holiday season: regular hours.
• Walmart - Black Friday deals start online Thursday evening. Stores maintain regular 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM hours.
• JCPenney - Black Friday: 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Holiday season: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

For a full breakdown of when each chain opens on the busiest shopping day of the year, see our Black Friday store hours guide, which covers early openings, which stores stay closed on Thanksgiving, and how the doorbuster rush has changed.

Christmas Eve is the cutoff. Most department stores close between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM on December 24th. If you are a last-minute shopper, get there early. The day after Christmas sees a return to extended hours as stores handle returns and clearance shoppers.

Department Store Sunday Hours

Every department store chain is open on Sundays, but hours are noticeably shorter than weekdays at most locations. The traditional department stores (Macy's, Nordstrom, JCPenney, Dillard's) tend to open later on Sundays - 11:00 AM or even noon - and close 1-2 hours earlier than on weekdays.

Dillard's has the shortest Sunday window among major chains, typically noon to 6:00 PM. If you are planning a Sunday trip to Dillard's, that gives you only 6 hours to work with. Neiman Marcus runs a similar schedule.

The mass-market stores are the exception. Walmart keeps its standard 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Sundays. Target stays at 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Kohl's opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 8:00 PM on Sundays, which is only one hour shorter than weekdays.

For a full comparison of Sunday hours across all store types, see our Weekend Hours page.

Closed Department Stores

The department store industry has lost several major chains over the past decade. If you are searching for hours at any of these stores, here is what happened:

• Sears - Once the largest retailer in America, Sears filed for bankruptcy in 2018. A handful of locations remain open under Transformco, but the vast majority have closed permanently.
• Bed, Bath & Beyond - Filed for bankruptcy and closed all stores in 2023. The brand exists online only through Overstock.com, which purchased the name.
• The Limited - Closed all retail locations in 2017 after decades as a mall staple. The parent company went on to build Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Express as separate brands.

These closures have reshaped where Americans shop. Much of the traffic that used to go to Sears and Bed Bath & Beyond has shifted to Target, Walmart, Kohl's, and online retailers like Amazon.

All Department Stores

Browse detailed hours and holiday schedules for every department store chain we track:

Frequently Asked Questions