You know, we missed September '09 with +5.1% against an expected +5.8%, but on that day (October 8), we finished green.

Unless the analysts get more realistic in their SSS estimates, what's to keep this from happening again 30 days from now? The November 2008 number was +15% over 2007 and December 2008 SSS were +13.5%. Talk about tough comps.

I'm very deeply long here and just going nuts over the BKE drop today when every headline today speaks of the rise in consumer spending, improving employment numbers (the early data this week suggests that tomorrow's unemployment shouldn't be higher than the expected 9.9%, and could easily be a couple of ticks lower. God knows what will happen to retail should it come in over 10%).