NEW YORK (AP) — Black Friday no longer tempts people to leave Thanksgiving tables for midnight mall runs, but the annual sales event still brings more shoppers into stores than any day of the year and rules as the U.S. retail industry's unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

This year's kickoff arrived as consumer confidence in the U.S. economy fell this month in the aftermath of the federal government shutdown , weak hiring and stubborn inflation, according to a report The Conference Board issued Tuesday.

Despite the economic uncertainty, shoppers went hunting Friday morning for the deals that retailers traditionally have reserved for the day after Thanksgiving.

At Macy’s Herald Square flagship store in New York City, customers who streamed in soon after the store ope

See Full Page