The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that U.S. shoppers took to stores across the world on a Black Friday that appeared to be subdued compared with prior years, looking for discounted electronics, clothing and household goods in the kickoff to the holiday shopping season crucial to big retailers. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says that TD Cowen lowered its U.S. holiday spending estimate to 2-per-cent to 3-per-cent growth, from 4 per cent to 5 per cent, as it forecast flat Black Friday traffic. Discounts in October and November removed the excitement and urgency of Black Friday. "People have already got what they want," said David Klink at Huntington Private Bank, which owns shares of Walmart and Target. With many consumers squeezed by persistent inflation and high interest rates, U.S. holiday spending is expected to rise at the slowest pace in five years. Most major retailers slashed their seasonal hiring. Retailers will likely continue to discount throughout the season. At 6 a.m. on Friday at a Walmart in New Milford, Conn., the parking lot was only half full. The Black Friday tradition began in the United States but has gone global, and now Black Friday is no longer a single-day event.