Major retail chain is ending paid holidays for most workers

Walgreens employees might get Christmas day off, but they shouldn’t expect to get paid for it.

Bloomberg reports that the pharmacy chain will no longer provide paid time off for six major holidays for most workers, including Christmas and Thanksgiving. USA Today reports the decision comes about a month after the chain was purchased by Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm, for $10 billion.

Under the new policy, employees must work on the holidays to get paid and will be eligible for extra holiday pay, USA Today reports.

Walgreens has been struggling for the past few years. In June 2024 the company announced it was closing hundreds of “underperforming stores.” It also recently cut 80 corporate workers, most from the company’s communication team, USA Today reports.