Target is permanently keeping its stores closed on Thanksgiving after sales soared during the 2020 holiday season

Target will keep stores closed on Thanksgiving Day from now on, making last year’s pandemic-driven closures permanent.

The retailer announced Monday that while some staff will report to its call and distribution centers on Thanksgiving, stores across the country will stay shuttered, according to the Associated Press.

“What started as a temporary measure driven by the pandemic is now our new standard — one that recognizes our ability to deliver on our guests’ holiday wishes both within and well beyond store hours,” Brian Cornell, Target’s CEO, wrote in a note to employees, per the AP.

Target was among several major retailers, including Walmart, that kept stores closed on Thanksgiving 2020 in an effort to cut back on holiday shopping crowds as COVID-19 cases surged nationwide. Target also began rolling out its holiday deals as early as October and expanded the number of products eligible for delivery or store pickup in an effort to curb high volumes of in-store shoppers.

Target announced in January that it would also keep its stores closed this Thanksgiving as well because the response last year was “so positive.” Monday’s announcement makes the change permanent going forward.

Prior to the pandemic, Target had opened its doors on Thanksgiving Day for roughly a decade, according to the AP. The move, also adopted by other major retailers like Best Buy and Macy’s, was an effort to get a head-start on the Black Friday shopping holiday and compete with Amazon. Not everyone was a fan of the decision, however, with critics saying it encouraged more spending and required employees to come to work on a holiday.