Storm stalls holiday sales

NEW YORK (AP) -- The snowstorm that moved up along the Northeast coast this weekend took a toll on holiday sales at the nation's stores, but business increased on the Web, as consumers shopped from home.
For the week ended Saturday, total retail sales were down 3.3 percent from the same week a year ago, according to ShopperTrak, which tallies sales at 30,000 retail outlets.
The year-ago period was also affected by winter weather, although less severe than the storm that crippled much of New York and New England.
Meanwhile, Visa USA reported that retail purchases on Visa cards had a 7 percent increase over the year-ago period, but daily growth fluctuated due to the snowstorm. E-commerce continued to show steady growth as online purchases made on Visa debit and credit cards increased by 50 percent in dollar volume from a year ago.