Retailers have a dismal November, despite Black Friday

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Even a better-than-expected Black Friday couldn’t save the nation’s retailers, which reported dismal November sales figures today. The first month of the crucial holiday shopping season again saw consumers snapping their wallets shut even as stores slashed prices and offered numerous specials.

We’ll have more on the retail outlook during the day here. For now, here are the so-called same-store sales figures for November:

Year-over-year percentage change in November sales at stores open at least a year:

Company / % change

Hot Topic +6.5%
American Apparel +6.0
Wal-Mart +3.4
Ross -2.0
Costco Wholesale -5.0
Saks -5.2
Gap -10.0
Pacific Sunwear -10.0
Target -10.4
American Eagle -11.0
J. C. Penney -11.9
Neiman Marcus -11.9
Limited -12.0
Wet Seal -13.9
Nordstrom -15.9
Kohl’s -17.5
Abercrombie & Fitch -28.0

Sources: Thomson Reuters, Times research