Just a few years ago, the idea of opening for business on Thanksgiving was seen as a desperate move by the nation’s largest retailers to bolster holiday sales as the economy sluggishly emerged from recession. It was almost cynical in its application, pulling consumers from their food, football and family with irresistible door-buster deals that would vanish once items were sold out or the clock struck a certain hour. But today Black Friday, the former make-or-break date for so many retailers, seems a thing of the past, a novelty from a simpler time when the turkey and stuffing was allowed to digest before the holiday shopping frenzy commenced.