Holiday Sales Weak But Not Terrible
According to Mastercard’s SpendingPulse, retail sales for the holiday season (the day after Thanksgiving through midnight Monday) were up 3.6% – 2.4% excluding gas which is much higher this year compared to last (subscription required).
That compares with 6.6% growth last year and 8.7% in 2005 (“Holiday Spending Is Weak, As Retailers Expected”, Wednesday December 26, 2007, The NY Times).