By Siddharth Cavale, Arriana McLymore, James Davey, Helen Reid NORTH BERGEN, N.J./RALEIGH, N.C./LONDON (Reuters) -As retailers reopened their U.S. stores after the American Thanksgiving holiday, some locations found small clusters of early Black Friday shoppers waiting outside stores for exclusive merchandise,

Retailers in the U.S. rewarded shoppers who ventured out on Black Friday with giveaways and bigger than expected discounts on a day that still reigns as the much-hyped kickoff of the Christmas shopping season despite losing some luster.

Black Friday may not look like the door-busting frenzy it once was, but shoppers are still hitting the stores despite inflation concerns. Household staples like Best Buy are running Black Friday sales both online and in-person.