by Calculated Risk on 12/25/2008 09:45:00 PM

From the WSJ: Retail Sales Plummet

[T]otal retail sales, excluding automobiles, fell over the year-earlier period by 5.5% in November and 8% in December through Christmas Eve, according to MasterCard Inc.'s SpendingPulse unit.

When gasoline sales are excluded, the fall in overall retail sales is more modest: a 2.5% drop in November and a 4% decline in December.

"This will go down as the one of the worst holiday sales seasons on record," said Mary Delk, a director in the retail practice at consulting firm Deloitte LLP.

These preliminary numbers suggest that retail sales in December were even weaker than in October and November.