Has Thanksgiving become the day of shopping instead of turkey day?

Holiday shoppers are buying online more and more instead of fighting the crowds in retail stores, and with the shift, Thanksgiving is now becoming Black Friday.

Retailers such as Target, Toys R Us, Best Buy and Walmart are offering Black Friday deals online — one day early. Many are opening their brick-and-mortar stores several hours earlier on Friday. A few will even be open on Thanksgiving.

This move could be due to the rise of online retailers, especially those like Amazon.com. According to a Nielsen survey, more consumers are talking about Cyber Monday deals on social media outlets these days, but Black Friday is still a more popular topic of conversation.

Some shoppers told The New York Times that they’re fed up with waking up early to find stores full of people and out-of-stock on the best deals. The move to earlier shopping has led some to protest the “assault on Thanksgiving.” There's even a “Respect the Bird” movement on Facebook now.

Since the bottom of the recession in 2009, retail sales have grown slowly. The Times also reports that retail sales have grown about 2 percent this year, but e-commerce sales have increased by more than 11 percent in early November alone.

Amazon.com Inc. is offering its own deals for the weekend of Black Friday, including $500 off a 46-inch television and a camera for half price.

Amazon has also released a price check app for iPhone and Android. When a shopper scans a barcode, the app will compare prices with Amazon and its thousands of partner e-retailers.

With more people wanting to stay home on Black Friday, sales offered online on Thanksgiving Day, and the release of the Kindle Fire, the 2011 holiday shopping season could be huge for Amazon and other e-commerce retailers.