BLAME W:

On eve of disaster, joy for retailers: Final shopping days before Christmas bring turnaround (ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, 12/25/07, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Just weeks ago, the holiday shopping season seemed headed for disaster. But in the waning hours before Christmas, the nation's retailers got their wish -- a last-minute surge of shopping that helped meet their modest sales goals, according to data released late Monday by research firm ShopperTrak RCT Corp.

And with post-Christmas shopping to come, some malls and stores were downright optimistic.

While consumers jammed stores at the start of the season in search of discounts and hot items such as Nintendo Co.'s Wii game console, a challenging economy prompted them to hold out until the end for bigger discounts.

Consumers aren't cheap, just smart.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 26, 2007 12:00 AM