People in Rhode Island will not be lining up for Thanksgiving Day deals as most of the big stores in the state are barred by law from opening on the holiday, the Huffington Post reported.

Rhode Island, along with its fellow New England states Maine and Massachusetts have to abide by the legacy of the so-called "blue laws" - which prohibits large supermarkets, big box stores and department stores from opening on Thanksgiving - while in other parts of the country, retailers offer holiday deals starting Thursday.

Grocery stores also must stay closed on the holidays. However, convenience stores, movie theaters, pharmacies, restaurants and some other businesses are allowed to open on the holidays.

Business groups have complained about this "unnecessary barrier," saying it is pointless in the era of 24-hour online shopping. There have been some recent failed legislative attempts to change this law, however, many shoppers, workers and even retailers say they're satisfied with having a one-day reprieve from work and holiday shopping.

"I shop all year. People need to be with their families on Thanksgiving," said Debra Wall, of Pawtucket, R.I., told the Huffington Post.

Instead of looking for bargains, Wall will remain quite happily at home Thursday, cooking a meal for 10.

Vice President of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts Bill Rennie told the Huffington Post the New England states are losing a lot of holiday money as a result of these blue laws. He said many shoppers are crossing into Border States that allow Thanksgiving shopping, including Connecticut, New York and Vermont.

"Why not give stores in Massachusetts the option?" he said.

The organization has supported legislation which has so far gone nowhere, to roll back the laws and allow stores to open on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The holiday shopping frenzy has crept deeper than ever into Thanksgiving this year. Instead of waiting until Black Friday, large stores like Macy's, J.C. Penney and Staples will open on Thanksgiving for the first time. Toys R Us will open at 5 p.m., and Wal-Mart, already open 24 hours in many locations, will start holiday deals at 6 p.m., two hours earlier than last year.

In recent years, some retail employees and their supporters have started online petitions to protest stores that open on Thanksgiving.