New York (AFP) – The Black Friday kickoff of the holiday shopping season is expected to bring especially deep discounts in 2022, but one challenge will be finding consumers confident enough to spend. Grinding inflation in the world’s biggest economy in recent months has cast uncertainty over this year’s festive season, which kicks off the day after Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday. A year ago, retailers faced product shortfalls in the wake of shipping backlogs and Covid-19-related factory closures. To avert a repeat, the industry front-loaded its holiday imports this year, leaving it vulnerable…