Not Singing in the Rain

Sears Roebuck (Hoffman Estates, Ill.), Federated Department Stores (Cincinnati), May Department Stores (St. Louis) and The Gap (San Francisco) were among the retailers that blamed the weather for sales declines during the month of May.

The charge was that unusually cool, damp weather stifled demand for shorts, T-shirts and other seasonal merchandise that usually drives spring sales.

“The end of the month was a disappointment,” said Federated chairman and ceo James Zimmerman, “and the exceptionally cool weather that much of the country has been experiencing probably is a large part of the reason for this negative performance.” Federated's same-store sales fell 3.4 percent in May and are down 3.1 percent year-to-date.

Sears said its May sales at domestic stores open for at least a year fell 4.4 percent as unseasonably cool weather cut into its sales.

“Weather was a negative,” said a retail analyst, “and it hurt more than it helped. It accentuated the pause in consumer spending that we have seen since March.”