But in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, shoppers will have to wait until midnight or after for store openings because of old statutes, or so-called "Blue Laws, that prohibit most retailers from operating on the holiday.
"It's been confusing this year, because a lot of retailers are advertising an early kick-off to the Black Friday," Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, "but it won't be happening around here."
He said that Maine is probably one of the only other states with laws prohibiting widespread retail openings on Thanksgiving. Curits Picard, executive director of the Retail Association of Maine confirmed that, and said that the earlier openings elsewhere are part of a national effort to lessen the intensity of Black Friday crowds with extended hours and staggered openings.
In Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, early-bird shoppers will have to wait for midnight or 1 a.m. openings at the larger stores, with many smaller retailers following with later times.