CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelans flocked to shopping centres in Caracas, the country's largest city, on Friday to take advantage of the first "Black Friday" discounts in recent memory, as socialist President Nicolas Maduro's government loosens controls in the face of an economic crisis.

For the first six holiday seasons of his presidency, Maduro attempted to keep consumer goods prices low despite galloping inflation with strict enforcement of price controls. This year, with the OPEC nation facing crippling U.S. sanctions on its oil industry, the government has left retailers more or less alone.