\
US shoppers are being urged to check the opening times for their favorite stores ahead of Columbus Day.
Monday October, 14, is an annual national celebration with millions of people off work and many shops and businesses set to be closed for good or operating on unusual times.
3
3
Most of the major retailers are due to stay open all day with Target, Kroger and Walmart all set to operate like normal.
Some smaller and independent shops are likely to have altered opening and closing times with many even closed for the day to give their workers a day off.
It is always best to double check if the individual store is open by searching it up online or by simply checking in with staff or looking out for signs indicating any major changes.
Elsewhere, banks are operating on a varying level throughout Columbus Day – also known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in same parts of the US.
Chase Bank and TD Bank will remain open.
Other major branches from Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citibank will all be closed.
But in case some cash is needed, residents are still able to use online banking and ATM services like normal.
Another key business that can often catch people out on national holidays is mail services.
The United States Postal Service will be closed and won’t deliver any mail or packages on Monday regardless of when they were posted.
Meaning some may have to wait until the Tuesday to unbox their goods.
However, UPS and FedEx will be operating as usual across most of the US.
FedEx Express and FedEx Ground Economy also have a modified service but will be around in many areas.
UPS is due to function as normal throughout the day.
Residents are being warned to double check their nearest postal services and agreements just to make sure they don’t get caught out.
Restaurants and take away food services are typically open as normal as are places such as gyms, tech stores and book shops.
Why do we celebrate Columbus Day?
IN 1492, Christopher Columbus set off with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, in search of Asia.
The Italian-born sailor landed first in The Bahamas, making him the first European to step foot on American soil.
On the return from his first trip, he brought back several natives, or indigenous people, to Spain, securing their enslavement.
Although slavery already existed, historians believe he created the beginning of a global enterprise that lasted approximately 400 years.
Columbus found himself in the Americas on his third trip from Spain.
He believed he had landed in Asia, but eventually realized he had discovered another continent entirely.
It wasn’t until the 300-year anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the Americas that New York’s Columbian Order held the first celebration.
The people celebrated Columbus’s faith and his nationality by holding Catholic ceremonies and Italian parades.
Colorado was the first state to make Columbus Day a holiday in 1901, and New York followed shortly after, naming it a holiday in 1909.
However, it wasn’t until 1937 that President Franklin D Roosevelt declared Columbus Day a national holiday every year and was celebrated on October 12.
The date was later changed in 1971 to the second Monday of October.
An alternative celebration – named Indigenous People’s Day – was first observed in Berkley, California in 1992.
Educators and historians believed it was essential to educate Americans on the loss of life.
They believed Americans should be educated on the history of people who settled in the Americas long before Columbus made his 15th-century expedition.
It runs alongside Columbus Day and falls on the same day.
But today many states acknowledge it as a holiday over Columbus Day.
Despite being launched in 1992 in California, it was only officially celebrated across the rest of the US in 2014.
On October 8, 2021, President Joe Biden became the first commander-in-chief to formally recognize Indigenous People’s Day by issuing a proclamation celebrating the upcoming holiday.
3
