Retailers across the United States offered early Black Friday discounts to lure bargain-hunters on Thanksgiving eve, but crowds in brick-and-mortar stores were subdued even as online sales jumped. "It's still early, and from what we are seeing so far the crowds are good but not great," said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners. The retail consultancy has 18 members studying customer traffic in different parts of the country. The rush on the night of the U.S. holiday, a month before Christmas, reflects the new normal in U.S. holiday shopping, which was traditionally kicked off the next day, Black ... (full story)