The big bet for the apparel merchants is not how Easter sales will shape up in April but how the weather acts.
Bad weather's really been an impediment for apparel sales. This is the time when people want to buy shorts and shirts for spring. They're not going to be doing that when there's two feet of snow out.
But despite all the deterrents, consumers are still buying. Wal-Mart's sales were up for the month. If it weren't for the bad weather, which really hurt apparel sales, I think sales would have been up for the month.
