[Buckeye McFrog]

I find it puzzling that sales for a particular month can be tabulated and analyzed when that month is just barely half over. Don’t they need to see the figures for the entire month?

Let me 'splain the retail industry to you. You are a highly paid, under-educated executive for a major big box chain. At the beginning of February you issue a confident report to your bosses that sales for this month will be "X". By mid-month the numbers are running 17 points behind "X". So you frantically start spinning it to blame the failure to meet "X" on anyone or anything other than your crappy prediction, otherwise you might not be around to set the sales target for March.

[miliantnutcase]

Yep, divisions set their plans up based upon these predictions. Division level buyers prepare, and local level management all schedule their labor based upon this as well. It has huge implications for being this far off.

[reformedliberal]

Walmart is publicly traded and so, their figures are published. But it isn’t just Walmart. It is the locally-owned tire shop, the private practice veterinarian, the massage therapist, the manufacturer & vendor for the *recession-proof* sewing industry, the chiropractic supply and every other little business in America. YOY is about the same: s-l-o-w.