NEW YORK, July 9 (UPI) -- U.S. retail sales were mixed in June in same-store sales comparisons, end of the month reports show.
Same-store comparisons use established outlets, those in place for over a year, which eliminates the volatile numbers of new stores or stores moving or going out of business.
In June, Nordstrom and Macy's led all department stores with receipt growth of 14.1 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively, The New York Times reported Friday.
Sales at J.C. Penny for the month rose 4.5 percent. At Khol's stores, sales rose 5.9 percent.
For the month, higher prices were met with slimmer increases in sales. Neiman Marcus reported sales up 1.9 percent, while Saks reported a 2.5 percent increase.
At discount stores, sales rose 2.9 percent as "Lower-income consumers continuing to experience the greatest pressure, particularly as unemployment levels have remained stubbornly high," retail analyst Colin McGranahan at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company said in an advisory note.
Clothing stores showed moderate growth with 2.9 percent growth as a group, the Times reported.
With June typically a slow sales month, in total, the numbers were "lackluster at best," said Robert Samuels, senior equity analyst at Phoneix Partners.
