MasterCard: Nov 1 - Dec 24 sales fell 2-4%

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Dec. 25 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. retail sales fell as much as 4 percent this holiday season as consumers limited purchases to necessities and cut back on clothing, electronics and jewelry, according to SpendingPulse.

Spending figures are the lowest since MasterCard Advisors started tracking data in 2002 to provide the SpendingPulse service, said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis. He estimates sales, excluding autos and gasoline, fell 2 percent to 4 percent from Nov. 1 through yesterday.

...

From Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, women’s clothing sales dropped 23 percent and men’s fell 14 percent, according to SpendingPulse.

Combined electronics and appliance sales tumbled 27 percent, with purchases over $1,000 suffering the most, according to SpendingPulse data. Luxury sales, including jewelry, plunged 35 percent, the data showed.

Purchases over the Internet fared better, with a 2.3 percent decline.

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The SpendingPulse data service calculates its sales estimates based on MasterCard Inc. network transactions and adjusts for cash, checks and other payment forms. MasterCard is the world’s second-biggest credit-card company.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home

[Amby 490]

Oh I need to get a mastercard so these numbers go up

[spookyturtle 9,466]

That's more great news.

[Amby 490]

No it's cool, I'll fix it, give me a few weeks, applying for a mastercard right now

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

A graphic showing the declines in sales (Nov 1- Dec 24) from the WSJ: