Weekend Holiday Shopping Appears Mixed
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NEW YORK Dec 12, 2004 - 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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Sold-out Christmas tree lots and  packed parking garages at malls during peak hours at first  glance may suggest a merrier Christmas for retailers, but they  are actually signs the holiday season may be a mixed one for  U.S. retailers, analysts said.
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Retailers expect the day after Boxing Day to be busier as bargain hunters continue the chase for cut-price items.
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The holiday shopping season began with a surge in spending but consumers faded by the long Thanksgiving weekend's close and many retailers were facing decent but hardly impressive sales.
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Retailers are still mulling the results from the first weekend of the holiday shopping season. But the outlook is still murky
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According to local, state and national retailers and retail associations, the sales figures for the weekend - which included Black Friday, traditionally the year&#39;s biggest shopping day â-id not meet expectations.
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The U.S. holiday shopping season got  off to a sluggish start with high oil prices and weak consumer  confidence hitting the key Thanksgiving weekend, according to  three retail indices released on Tuesday.
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Seemingly contradictory results emerge as the holiday shopping season begins.
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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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U.S. shoppers, come out, come out,  wherever you are. "Super Saturday," the last Saturday before  Christmas, is often the biggest shopping day of the holiday  season, according to the National Retail Federation.
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Stocks were set to open mixed to higher Thrusday, following several pieces of economic data, with stock activity likely to be subdued ahead of Christmas holiday weekend.
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(CBS/AP) The start of the holiday season was respectable but unimpressive for many of the leading US retailers, with consumers jamming stores and malls on Friday and pulling back as the weekend wore on.
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The holiday shopping season is hurtling toward its close, but demand remains soft and inconsistent. With just 11 days before Christmas - and heading into the last full weekend of shopping - retailers have been steadily easing prices. But a burst of late spending  has yet to materialize.
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Consumers are breaking out their wallets on the brink of what should be a robust holiday shopping season, several reports suggested yesterday.
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The High Street is hoping for a busy weekend amid disappointing Christmas sales so far.
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nation&#39;s malls and stores, looking for last-minute gifts and snapping up gift cards on Friday, the day before Christmas. Retailers, struggling with disappointing holiday sales throughout the season, were heartened
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Travel: Gear up for a Christmas spending spree with a spot of online window shopping.