whole lot of hurting here tonight, page-2

This portion is quite important in putting the figures in context I believe. A partial reason for poorer results than usual perhaps, although it was clear they were going to be relatively sour anyway.

"Late Easter

In addition to rising unemployment, a late Easter holiday this year may have shifted sales out of March and into April, some economists said. Shifting holidays make it more difficult for Commerce to take into account seasonal buying patterns when tabulating purchases. "