Southland

Humbug: Retailers in Southern California will be poring over sales reports as they decide whether to cut prices further before the final holiday shopping days this weekend. Chances are they will. The International Council of Shopping Centers, which monitors sales at most of the nation’s malls, today reports results for the week ended Sunday. On Tuesday, Johnson Redbook Services and Mitsubishi Bank will report last week’s retail sales figures. Sales reports from those organizations have been weaker than expected in recent weeks, prompting some analysts to proclaim the holiday season lackluster for retailers. If reports today and Tuesday are disappointing, local merchants may engage in even heavier weekend discounting than previously planned.