Thin crowds of inflation-weary shoppers hunted for Black Friday deals, with foot traffic remaining sparse in many malls across the country as Americans instead flocked online, where they spent a record $9.12 billion.
About 166 million people were planning to shop from the Nov. 24 Thanksgiving holiday through “Cyber Monday” on Nov. 28, according to the National Retail Federation, almost 8 million more than last year.
