Publix, Winn-Dixie, Whole Foods: Thanksgiving 2017 Store Hours

TAMPA, FL - Don't even think about waiting until Thanksgiving Day to buy your turkey. But if you do happen to find yourself out of a critical item on the big day — aside from the traditional main course — there's no need to get your apron all knotted up. You still have options as long as you know what's open and closed around Tampa Bay on Thanksgiving Day 2017.

Some grocery stores will be open for a time and local pharmacies may also be open with limited grocery items and alcoholic beverages. The same goes for gas stations. Don't forget that you can always head to one of the big box stores that might be open to give shoppers a head start on Black Friday.

Patch reached out to a number of Florida area supermarkets and pharmacies to see which stores will be open for that last-minute dollop of whipped cream or perhaps a forgotten bottle of wine to make your holiday just a little bit more special — or your once-a-year guests a little more tolerable.

You can take all of the Florida Publix locations off your list of what's open on Thanksgiving and not waste time driving to your neighborhood store. "As is our tradition, we are closed Thanksgiving Day," Nicole Krauss of the Publix supermarket chain told Patch.

But Publix isn't alone in giving its employees the day off. All Costco Wholesale locations will also be closed as will BJ's Wholesale Club and Sam's Club locations. So scratch those off your list too.

With respect to grocery stores, ALDI stores will also be closed. Winn-Dixie locations in Florida will be open until 4 p.m. while Whole Foods stores will have differing hours depending on the location. The earliest closing times will be at 2 p.m. and the latest at 3 p.m., according to the chain's Heather McReady. See the complete list of Whole Foods closing times for Florida at the end of this story.

All Walmart Neighborhood Market and Walmart locations in Florida will follow a regular schedule on Thursday but you'll have to wait until 6 p.m. if you want to get your Black Friday specials and your groceries at the same time. Target also sells grocery items but the chain won't be opening until 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. It plans to close at midnight and reopen at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.

Walgreens will operate on a normal schedule throughout Florida for both Thanksgiving and Black Friday, according to Emily Mekstan of the chain. You can find the closing time of your local store on Walgreens.com.

Some CVS Pharmacy stores in Florida will be operating on a regular schedule for Thanksgiving but some stores will only be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. so it's best to call first if possible. All 24-hour pharmacies will remain open on Thanksgiving, but CVS Pharmacies that are located inside Target stores will be closed. CVS will operate on a regular schedule for Black Friday, according to the chain's Stephanie Cunha.

The following are Thanksgiving store closing times for Whole Foods stores in Florida:

Whole Foods Market – Carrollwood – Open Until 2 p.m.
3802 Northdale Blvd
Tampa

Whole Foods Market – Tampa – Open Until 2 p.m.
1548 North Dale Mabry Blvd.
Tampa

Whole Foods Market – Clearwater – Open Until 2 p.m.
Westfield Countryside Mall
27001 US 19 North, Suite 8520
Clearwater

Whole Foods Market - Sarasota – Open Until 2 p.m.
1451 1st Street
Sarasota

Whole Foods Market - Bayhill – Orlando – Open Until 3 p.m.

Phillips Crossing Center

8003 Turkey Lake Road

Orlando

Whole Foods Market - Winter Park North – Open until 3 p.m.

1030 N. Orlando Ave

Winter Park, FL 32789

Image via Shutterstock.