Only limited UPS Store locations are listed as available on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2026, and the schedule tells customers to check with their local store. Asking is the UPS Store open on Thanksgiving therefore gets a store by store answer, because each location is independently owned.
UPS the carrier is closed that day. The next Thanksgiving after this one is Thursday, November 25, 2027, and UPS has not published a 2027 status yet.
Is the UPS Store open on Thanksgiving 2026?
The UPS 2026 holiday schedule prints “Limited Locations” in The UPS Store column for Thursday, November 26, 2026. That wording means some stores will open and many will not.
UPS gives no list of which ones. What matters is whether your own store is one of them.
The UPS holiday page adds that UPS Store locations may be closed on Thanksgiving and tells customers to check with their local store for specific hours. Treat any store as closed until its own hours say otherwise.
A store that opens for a few hours is a store decision, not a UPS network rule. Do not plan a Thanksgiving errand around a store you have not confirmed. The Postal Holiday Checker shows which carriers and postal services are running on a given date.
Why store hours differ from one location to the next
The UPS Store says its locations are independently owned and operated by franchisees. Its own site also notes that products, services, prices and hours of operation may vary by location.
That is why the schedule cannot say “open” or “closed” for the whole chain. One owner may close for the holiday while another a few miles away opens for a short shift. A store inside a shopping center or hotel may follow the landlord’s hours as well.
What is open and closed on Thanksgiving 2026
This table repeats the UPS schedule as printed for Thursday and the Friday after.
| Service | Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | Fri, Nov 27, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Domestic Ground, Air and International | Closed | Open |
| The UPS Store | Limited Locations | Open |
| UPS Air and Ocean Freight | Closed | Open |
| UPS Express Critical | Available | Open |
Express Critical is provided by Marken and is a special urgent service, not the normal retail counter. The footnote under The UPS Store row reads “Check with your local store for hours of operation.” The schedule is also marked subject to change.
Can you use a UPS drop box on Thanksgiving?
UPS does not publish whether its drop boxes are collected on holidays. The schedule lists no regular UPS pickup or delivery for Thursday, November 26, 2026, so do not count on a Thursday scan for anything you leave in a box.
A package dropped on Thanksgiving is more likely to be collected when pickup resumes. The schedule lists Friday, November 27, 2026 as open for UPS. If the package has a deadline, take it to a counter earlier in the week or pay for a service that covers the gap.
How to check one store’s hours before you go
The fastest check for is the UPS Store open on Thanksgiving at your own location is the store locator on theupsstore.com. It searches by address or store number and has filters for Open on Saturday and Open on Sunday.
- Enter your address, ZIP code or a store number in the locator.
- Open the listing for the store you plan to use and read its hours for November 26.
- Call the store if the listing shows only regular weekly hours.
- Ask what time the last customer is accepted and whether label printing, packing and notary work are offered that day.
A store that is open on Thanksgiving may run a short schedule. The normal closing time on an ordinary Thursday, covered in what time the UPS Store closes, is a poor guide for the holiday.
What still works online on Thanksgiving
UPS My Choice can redirect a package to another address or reschedule it for a more convenient day. Those changes are handled online, so they do not depend on a store being open.
My Choice Basic is free and Premium is $19.99 a year. On Basic, rescheduling costs $9.99 and an alternate address costs $14.99. Fees apply only if the change completes, and the shipper may restrict changes.
UPS does not say whether creating labels online works differently on holidays. You can still prepare a shipment on a computer. Do not expect a pickup or a carrier scan until UPS operations resume.
Which store services matter on a holiday
The UPS Store site lists printing, packing and shipping, mailbox rentals, notary service and passport photos. Each of these needs staff, so a store that opens may not offer all of them.
Call ahead for anything that needs a person. A notary or passport photo is the likeliest service to be unavailable on a short holiday shift. Printing a label and handing over a package is the simplest job a store can do.
A worked example
Say you have a return to send and today is Wednesday, November 25, 2026. If the store is closed on Thursday, you have two choices. You can ship on Wednesday, or wait until Friday, November 27, when the schedule prints “Open” for both UPS and the store.
Either way the package will not get a regular UPS scan on Thursday. Shipping Wednesday gets it into the network before the closure. Waiting until Friday adds a day but avoids a trip on the holiday.
The day before and the day after
The schedule rows quoted here cover Thursday and Friday only. For Wednesday, November 25, 2026, the schedule gives no special status, so use the locator for that store’s regular hours.
On Friday, November 27, 2026, the schedule prints “Open” for both UPS and The UPS Store. Franchise owners still set their own hours, so a quick check is wise, especially for a store in a mall. The Black Friday UPS status has the details for that day.
Volume is high on the Friday after Thanksgiving because returns and online orders pile up. Expect lines at counters and bring your packages sealed with labels printed when you can.
What about delivery on Thanksgiving?
Delivery is a carrier question, not a store question. The UPS holiday page says there is no UPS pickup or delivery service on November 26, 2026. The full carrier picture is in does UPS deliver on Thanksgiving.
The other winter holidays on the same schedule
The same UPS schedule prints The UPS Store status for the holidays that follow. Each row carries the same advice to check with your local store.
| Date | UPS | The UPS Store |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Dec 24, 2026 | Open | Open |
| Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Closed | Limited Locations |
| Thu, Dec 31, 2026 | Open | Limited Locations |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | Closed | Limited Locations |
On December 24, UPS operates with limits on pickup, and on December 31 delivery covers Air and international Air packages only.
Details are in the Christmas Eve store article.
New Year’s hours are in the New Year’s Day store article.
For all carriers together, see the holiday shipping deadlines.
What to expect on Thanksgiving 2027
Thanksgiving 2027 falls on Thursday, November 25. UPS has not published a holiday schedule for that date. For Thanksgiving 2027, no store or carrier status can be stated yet.
Check the UPS holiday page again once the 2027 schedule is posted.
Bottom line on Thanksgiving store hours
For is the UPS Store open on Thanksgiving, the safe plan is to treat the counter as closed on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and any open store as a bonus. The UPS schedule lists “Limited Locations,” the carrier has no regular pickup or delivery, and Friday returns to normal status.
If you need hours for today instead, see the UPS Store open today guide.