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US Shoppers Kick Off Holiday Season With a Muted Black Friday
- Heavy discounts to clear inventory appear to draw small crowds
- ‘I have to spend more for it to look the same,’ shopper says
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US retailers discounted heavily on Black Friday to clear out bloated inventories but customers responded with only modest traffic, leaving profitability in doubt for many chains.
Crowds were thin in the late morning at Connecticut’s Stamford Town Center mall, with few shoppers at Kay Jewelers and just a small line at Forever 21. A couple at a Walmart Inc. supercenter near Dallas reveled in the lack of crowds as they bought presents for their grandchildren. At the Stonestown mall in San Francisco, shoppers were few and far between.