Black Friday upstaged by Thursday?

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The chaos of Black Friday appears to have come on Thursday. From Huntsville to Mobile, bargain hunters lined up hours ahead of Thanksgiving night openings in search of deep discounts on flat-screen televisions, computers and toys. Some shoppers said they even began camping out Wednesday night to make sure they were among the first in the stores. That left thinner crowds Friday morning and a quieter shopping experience on what has traditionally been the busiest shopping day of the year. The unofficial kick-off of the holiday shopping season has now become a two-part event. Most large retailers opened their doors to large crowds Thursday night. A steady second wave of shoppers filled stores Friday.