Major Grocery Stores Closed on Christmas Day, Convenience Stores Open
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 25 2025
0mins
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Grocery Store Closures: Major grocery retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Trader Joe's are closed on Christmas Day, allowing employees a much-needed break, which highlights the retail industry's focus on employee welfare during holidays.
- Convenience Store Operations: Stores such as 7-Eleven, CVS, and Walgreens remain open on Christmas Day, catering to last-minute consumer needs, demonstrating the significance of convenience retail during holiday periods.
- Varied Operating Hours: While most grocery stores may close early on Christmas Eve, a few like Save Mart still open on Christmas Day, providing limited shopping options to meet urgent customer demands.
- Consumer Choices: With limited store options available on Christmas Day, the operation of convenience stores offers essential goods to consumers, reflecting a shift in shopping patterns during the holiday season.
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Analyst Views on COST
Wall Street analysts forecast COST stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for COST is 1061 USD with a low forecast of 769.00 USD and a high forecast of 1205 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
24 Analyst Rating
19 Buy
4 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 989.290
Low
769.00
Averages
1061
High
1205
Current: 989.290
Low
769.00
Averages
1061
High
1205
About COST
Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco) operates membership warehouses and e-commerce sites that offer a selection of nationally branded and private-label products in a wide range of categories. The Company buys the majority of its merchandise directly from suppliers and route it to cross-docking consolidation points (depots) or directly to its warehouses. It operates 891 warehouses, including 614 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 108 in Canada, 40 in Mexico, 35 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden. It also operates e-commerce sites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. The Company provides wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of specialty departments and exclusive member services.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Market Performance Insight: Costco's stock has risen about 15% year-to-date in 2026, recovering from a 6% decline in 2025, indicating strong potential for recovery driven by tax stimulus.
- Consumer Demographic Advantage: With a membership base skewed towards mid- to high-end consumers, analysts believe Costco is well-positioned to attract shoppers during the tax season, especially with its strong performance in big-ticket merchandise.
- Overall Retail Impact: JPMorgan estimates that last year's tax law changes could lead to over a 1% increase in core retail sales in 2026, with the impact being particularly pronounced during the tax refund season, further solidifying Costco's market position.
See More
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- Accelerated Digital Sales: Costco's digitally enabled sales surged 33.1% year-over-year in January, significantly up from 18.3% in December, indicating that the company's efforts to enhance digital engagement are yielding impressive results and improving the online shopping experience for customers.
- Membership Model Advantage: With a high proportion of sales from everyday essentials and a membership model, Costco has attracted consumers even amid market volatility, as evidenced by a 15% year-to-date stock price increase, reflecting investor confidence in its stable business model.
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