In New England, blue laws in Maine allowed stores toopen at midnight while in Massachusetts and Rhode Island stores opened at 12.30 and 1 a.m. respectively.
American shoppers in search of cheap toys and televisions raced to stores in high numbers after Thanksgiving dinner, signaling that a gambit by big store chains toopen at midnight succeeded in drawing more customers.
In Middle Island, a Wal-Mart remained unofficially open long past midnightto accommodate more than two dozen motorists who were stranded on nearby roads.