Why Couldn't Walmart Open at Midnight?

At 11:45 a.m., hundreds of customers were lined up outside the __ waiting to get their hands on the Black Friday megadeals when the store opened at midnight, as they were led to believe by Walmart's national marketing.

There was just one problem. The store wasn't opening until 4 a.m.

When word spread down the line, there was a mass exodus, leaving only around 25 people in line.

So what was the confusion? Why, for the second year in a row, did residents think Walmart would open at midnight, only to be disappointed?

"(Massachusetts) Blue laws restrict retailers from opening on Thursday. The operations department determined that 4 am would be the optimal opening time," said Walmart spokesman James McManus. "The stores posted signs about the 4 am opening time, we sent out a press release, and did numerous interviews on radio and in newspapers to get the word out."

This came as a surprise to shoppers at the Burlington Mall and the Ocean State Job Lots in Tewksbury, both of which did, in fact open at midnight.

So what's the deal?

What Walmart officials are saying is accurate ... sort of. Massachusetts stores can't open as early as Walmarts in neighboring states.

Massachusetts "Blue Laws" still forbid retail stores from being open on Thanksgiving. In fact, workers at retail stores cannot be on the clock for even one minute on Thanksgiving.

So, stores are definitely allowed to open at midnight on Black Friday if they want. However, the employees can't be on the clock before midnight to help set up the store for opening.

In the case of Walmart, there was a little extra prep work, as the renovation project that will result in a transformation to a Super Walmart is not yet complete.

So bare this in mind for Black Friday, 2012. Expect the Tewksbury Walmart to open at 4 a.m., no matter what the national promotional campaign might say.