Sales Sluggish in Second Week of Dec.

U.S. retailers posted grim results in the second week of December, leaving them biting their nails and hoping consumers come rushing through the doors to make last-minute purchases in the final week before Christmas, according to two reports.

U.S. chain store sales slipped 0.5% during the week ended Saturday, the third straight week of declines, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UBS Warburg reported in their Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot. Separately, the Redbook Retail Sales Average tumbled 4.6% in the two weeks ended Saturday, compared with the same period in November.