Columbus Day, October 10th, 2011, is an official federal holiday in the US. That means that, while the rest of us are working, taxpayer supported entities like the post office (USPS) and federal offices, along with most state, county and city offices, will be closed.
Most banks (should those be included as ‘taxpayer supported entities’ now?) will also be closed. Paypal and other major online money transfer services will be open as usual, and online banking and ATM’s will remain available on Columbus Day.
Fedex reports on their 2011 holiday schedule page that they will be open as usual on “Oct. 5: Columbus Day”. However, Columbus day is on the 10th. However, they do not include Columbus Day on the list of days in which pick up and delivery services are limited, so it’s likely they are open with all services available.
UPS is open with normal delivery services on Columbus Day. DHL is also open on Columbus Day with normal delivery services.
Trash pickup is very localized. We found a wide variety of holiday schedules from city to city, from cancellations, to alternate days, to regular pick up.
Major department stores such as Sears, WalMart, Best Buy, KMart, JCPenny, Kohl’s, Beal’s, Macy’s, Home Depot, will be open on Columbus Day. Many are having sales and some may have expanded hours during the holiday weekend.
Most tourist locations will be open. National Parks are open.
Major grocery chains are also open on Columbus Day with normal hours.
The stock markets are open.