Same store sales data remains weak   

Same store sales data shows ongoing weakness as only one for the top 10 retailers posted growth of more than 3%; Costco at 5.0%. Three of the top 10 showed declining same store sales in their most recent reporting period including giant Wal-Mart. The data is consistent with overall retail sales numbers, but it brings home the message to see how even the best retailers are struggling to achieve adequate sales growth. Overall November retail sales are stronger, and I would expect to see somewhat better results as Q4 same store sales numbers get published. Results have improved from 2009 when same store sales for the same reporting period generally showed worse comparisons. The retail segment drives a tremendous amount of freight transportation and this data shows that demand for freight transportation is likely to remain weak in the near term.