Black Friday

I've been thinking. I don't know exactly how to classify these thoughts so it may come out in the traditional unknown format.
I considered participating in the American phenomenon known these days as Black Friday. It completely baffles me. How did the term shift from the day that the stock market crashed to the day after Thanksgiving when the Christmas retail season actually starts? Why do we have to wake up at 3:00am to get the best prices? Really, I'm sure the employees would be just as happy to see us at 9:00am and would be more than willing to give us the same prices. When did it become acceptable to draw blood over $3 pajamas? When I say 'considered participating', I mean I set an alarm for 5:00, 6:00, 6:05, 7:00, and finally woke up at about 8:00. I was at the stores by 9:00, finished by 10:00, and still had all of my Christmas shopping done for $40 less than I actually budgeted for. I would consider that a successful shopping trip AND I still got 8 hours of sleep.
I guess the reason that I'm so baffled by all of this might have something to do with the fact that I watched Elizabeth Gaskell's NORTH AND SOUTH earlier this week. I'm fascinated by the relationship of unions and masters and the power necessary to cause and continue a strike. I think it applies to Black Friday. The only reason it starts so early is because people actually go. If people didn't go, there would be NO reason for it to start that early. I think I'll go for Cyber Monday next year.