Dick’s Sporting Goods boosting employee pay, closing on Thanksgiving

Dick’s Sporting Goods this week announced it will be closing its stores on Thanksgiving as the nation continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, and said that it will extend its pay boost for employees through the end of the year.

The top sporting goods retailer said in a statement that its stores and distribution centers “will operate on standard business hours” the day before Thanksgiving but close entirely for the holiday. “In previous years, most DICK’S Sporting Goods stores were open with limited evening hours on Thanksgiving,” the company said.

Golf Galaxy and Field & Stream, which are both owned by the corporation, will also be closed on Thanksgiving. 

The company added that details of its planned hours for Black Friday will be released later this year.

The company also confirmed it will extend premium pay for store and distribution center teammates, which boosts their pay by 15 percent, through the end of the year.

“We are so thankful to our teammates for their hard work and dedication,” Ed Stack, the company’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “They have navigated this year with strength, commitment and care for each other and for our customers. We will continue to do all we can to support them and show our gratitude.”

Dick’s announcement puts the company among a growing list of major retailers in the country to announce it will be closing its doors on Thanksgiving amid the ongoing pandemic.

Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s and more have all announced that they will be closing their stores on Thanksgiving, which traditionally can mean large crowds of people wanting to cash in on holiday deals on Black Friday, as leading health experts continue to advise the public to practice social distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19.