Lacy: Sears Sales Show Holiday Surprise
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Christmas came early for some retailers: While Wal-Mart Stores (nyse: WMT - news - people ) and Limited Brands (nyse: LTD - news - people ) were having a slow start to the holidays, Sears, Roebuck &amp; Co.
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The November sales results for a few retailers raise some questions.
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With the 2007 run-up to Christmas boosted by a last-minute sales surge, retailers are putting an extra emphasis on after-Christmas discounts, hoping bargain shoppers and gift-card splurgers can enrich stores' holidays.
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U.S. retail sales jumped a more-than-expected 1.2 percent in December, but first-time jobless claims posted a surprise climb and import prices dipped more than anticipated, government reports showed on Thursday.
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U.S. chain store retail sales rose in the latest week, due to a late pre-Christmas surge in spending, a report said on Tuesday.
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Post-Thanksgiving sales were a bit of a turkey for retail giant. But for others, they were gravy. By Lorrie Grant. An explosive spending spree over the Thanksgiving weekend gave US retailers hopes for a robust holiday shopping season.
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Consumers packed malls and store  parking lots over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend,  leading many to expect this year's holiday sales figures could  blow away expectations and lift retail stocks.
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In the latest snapshot of the holiday shopping season, the government reported a better performance than Wall Street had been expecting.
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Malls were open around the clock and stores came through with huge discounts - but the last weekend before Christmas didn't do the trick, analysts said.
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The cost of Christmas rose this year, but some surprising elements got cheaper.
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If you didn&#39;t do much holiday shopping last month, it looks like you have plenty of company. Analysts say November chain store sales numbers coming in today are generally disappointing.
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Retail sales unexpectedly fall in December as consumers rein in their Christmas spending.
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A shopping spree before and after Christmas helped many of the nation's retailers meet their holiday sales goals, but heavy discounting to lure customers into the stores came at the expense of profits, Wall Street analysts believe.
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Early indications of holiday sales last week showed strength, but investors seemed confused about whether to continue shopping on Wall Street.
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With less than two weeks of shopping left until Christmas, the nation&#39;s malls and stores stepped up discounts over the weekend, but business appeared to be mixed, according to analysts.
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Holiday shopping got off to a flying  start in the United States this weekend.
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You can learn a lot from a holiday shopping bellwether.