  We propose a new alternative to the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle
(WIMP) paradigm for dark matter. Rather than being determined by thermal
freeze-out, the dark matter abundance in this scenario is set by dark matter
decay, which is allowed for a limited amount of time just before the
electroweak phase transition. More specifically, we consider fermionic singlet
dark matter particles coupled weakly to a scalar mediator $S_3$ and to
auxiliary dark sector fields, charged under the Standard Model gauge groups.
Dark matter freezes out while still relativistic, so its abundance is initially
very large. As the Universe cools down, the scalar mediator develops a vacuum
expectation value (vev), which breaks the symmetry that stabilises dark matter.
This allows dark matter to mix with charged fermions and decay. During this
epoch, the dark matter abundance is reduced to give the value observed today.
Later, the SM Higgs field also develops a vev, which feeds back into the $S_3$
potential and restores the dark sector symmetry. In a concrete model we show
that this "vev flip-flop" scenario is phenomenologically successful in the most
interesting regions of its parameter space. We also comment on detection
prospects at the LHC and elsewhere.
