Black Friday, without the mania

It’s been years since America bid adieu to what, for many people, was a post-Turkey Day ritual: Black Friday.

Locally, plenty of shoppers still hit shopping malls and department stores Friday in search of “unbeatable” deals. But the faux retail holiday has been reduced to ho-hum for most consumers. Month-long discounts (Black November, anyone?) and online sales have dimmed its appeal, and muted the feeling of urgency that once turned it into a bloodsport for some people.

Throngs of people strolled through the CambridgeSide shopping mall’s Apple store Friday morning. Kids sent letters to Santa, courtesy of the North Pole mailbox. And a handful lined up outside Newbury Comics ahead of its opening.

Pam Kenney wheeled around a black cart filled with Old Navy and Bath & Body Works bags. Kenney said the mall was quiet, and seemed almost nostalgic for the Black Fridays of yore.

“We like the hustle and bustle,” she said. “There’s no lines which is nice, but it’s a little disappointing.”