Nancy Ford Sales Quotations

Friday's same-store sales data are an early indication that shoppers are meeting retailers' expectations, ... The sales growth is in line with the healthy state of the economy and consumer confidence.

It appears that same-store retail sales have continued to do reasonably well.

Despite this mini-surge in spending, the modest gain in same-store sales did not meet early projections.

For the most part, spending continued steadily throughout the weekend. It is not unusual to see a slight slowdown in sales after an initial surge on the day after Thanksgiving -- particularly with a long shopping season.

A long pre-Christmas shopping weekend helped buoy December retail sales by 2.1 percent, just edging out November's 1.9 percent gain. As a result, the year ended on a positive note, albeit modest; and consumer confidence is on the rise again - a good sign moving into the New Year.