Crowds were thin at U.S. stores and shopping malls in the early hours of Friday, initial spot checks showed, as shoppers responded to early Black Friday discounts with a mix of enthusiasm and caution.<br />Many shoppers headed out to stores on Thanksgiving evening, a month before Christmas, reflecting the new normal in U.S. holiday shopping, which was traditionally kicked off the next day, Black Friday.<br />In an effort to attract the most eager holiday shoppers and fend off competition from Amazon.com Inc , U.S. retailers have increasingly extended their holiday deals by opening stores on the evening of Thanksgiving.<br />"It's still early, and from what we are seeing so far the crowds are good but not great," Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, said late on Thursday.
