It used to be a tradition. You waited for the ads to come out, you circled items and then you made your game plan. Right after Thanksgiving dinner was done and over with, while everyone else was downstairs snoozing on the sofa and dreaming of one more piece of pumpkin pie, you were getting your sleep for the mission you were about to undertake. Families poured out of their houses in the wee hours of the morning, lists in hand. Stores opened at six am and the crowds would be ready, elbow to elbow, shopper to shopper. This was Black Friday, the high water mark for many retailers. Things have changed about that tradition in recent years though and the day does not mean nearly what it did before.

First there was Cyber Monday- where people fed up with the crowds, the surly, underpaid cashiers and the traffic jams would stay at home and shop online, finding just as many bargains if not more without having to take off their fluffy bunny slippers. No one to jostle you or steal items from your buggy and no one is surly to you online. And so, the bells began to toll for Black Friday.

Retailers were not worried, at first, because they thought they still had the older crowd but they were forgetting that most of the seniors did not brave the crowds on Black Friday. According to recent stats, most new computer users are aged 65 or older and that age group is making up most of the newest members of the most popular social networks. This group is also becoming more familiar with online shopping, finding it easier in the long run.

To combat a slowed economy, some retailers started moving their sales back, earlier and earlier, trying to get the jump on their competition, luring in that bargain hunter before other stores even open. Six am sales gave way to the four am door busters. This year, the sales are starting even earlier with many on Thursday evening. That news has more than a few people up in arms including the people most directly and most seriously affected by it: the workers. Minimum wage earners are being forced to choose between working their job or spending time with their family on the most chaotic and hectic shopping day of the season. Workers at WalMart stores across the country are threatening a national walk out and are urging shoppers to go elsewhere in support of them.