21.   Atlanta area retailers reported above-average sales of baby formula and bottled water.

22.   Because few traditional retailers report Internet sales separately, outsiders have little by which to gauge performance, besides technical virtuosity and site traffic.

23.   Before the charge, analysts said they expect the struggling discount retailer tomorrow to report a small profit or a small loss.

24.   A decade ago, it was not unusual for a retailer to report double-digit sales gains for December.

25.   After using heavy discounts to lure shoppers to their stores, many retailers reported modest November sales gains Thursday.

26.   Buchanan and other analysts said that several retailers had reported strong sales of early spring merchandise that they began to put out towards the middle of the month.

27.   But individual retailers report a significant increase.

28.   But retailers report that even these consumers remain unwilling to buy an HDTV set because there is so little high-definition programming.

29.   But retailers have reported that Web TV sales have been disappointing, too.

30.   But that may not hold true this holiday shopping season when retailers report brisk sales.