Shoppers Are Even Grinchier Than Expected

Holiday shopping sales are looking even worse than forecast, Reuters reports. A new survey conducted over the traditional weekend launch of holiday gift-buying, found that 38% of shoppers said they spent less over the weekend than during the same period last year—and 30% were unimpressed by this year's discounts.

Some 43% said they were worse off financially than last year, according to the survey by the American Research Group. The head of the survey company, who had already forecast the first decline in US holiday sales in more than 20 years, is in the midst of calculating an even meaner season.
(More holiday shopping stories.)