Dillard's Third Quarter Crash

Dillard's Inc. (Little Rock, Ark.) reported an 83 percent profit drop for the quarter ended October 28. Earnings for the quarter dwindled to $6 million from $34.8 million a year earlier, and same-store sales fell 3 percent. The department store chain also experienced an operating loss of 10 cents a diluted share. Analysts had predicted it would gain nine cents, according to First Call/Thomson Financial.