Short answer: It depends a lot on where you are. Some states allow alcohol sales on Thanksgiving (often including grocery and liquor stores), some allow only beer or beer and wine, and some ban retail alcohol sales entirely on that day.

Key point: It’s state and local law

• Each state sets its own rules for whether and what kind of alcohol can be sold on Thanksgiving, and cities/counties can add extra restrictions on top of that.

• In some places (like parts of California or Illinois), you can generally buy alcohol as usual, while in others (like Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and several others) retail alcohol sales are not allowed at all on Thanksgiving.

Typical patterns by place

• Common pattern 1: “Beer and wine only” – grocery or convenience stores can sell beer (and sometimes wine), but liquor stores are closed and spirits are not allowed (examples include Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, Idaho, and others).

• Common pattern 2: “No off-premise alcohol” – package/liquor stores and grocery beer/wine sales are banned for the day (seen in states like Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Kansas, and a few more).

• Common pattern 3: “Mostly allowed” – many states let stores sell alcohol on Thanksgiving with few statewide restrictions, though individual stores might close or shorten hours (for example, California, Illinois, Nevada outside of dry areas, and several others).

What you should do

• Check your state’s current alcohol rules for holidays (often listed on the state alcohol control or consumer protection website), and then check with a specific store because even when sales are legal, many liquor stores choose to close for Thanksgiving.

• If you tell the state (and whether you mean a liquor store, grocery store, or bar/restaurant), the rules can be narrowed down more precisely.