The Weather Does Everything

Courtesy of commenter "Yalt" at Calculated Risk:

“Unseasonably cooler weather created a challenging sales environment for many apparel retailers last month,” said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells. (4/14/08).

Warm weather blamed for first retail sales slip in 18 months (Independent, 11/16/01)

Mild weather blamed for slowing retail sales growth (Independent, 12/20/02)

"Retailers on Thursday reported sluggish sales for August, as store chains blamed adverse weather..." (CNN/Money, 9/2/04)

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Retailers on Thursday reported sluggish sales for August, as store chains blamed adverse weather and a late Labor Day for hurting back-to-school business. (9/2/04)

Weather blamed for slow economy (AP, 1/16/06)

Hot weather blamed for cool retail sales (USA Today, 10/11/07)

Worst Retail Sales Gains in 37 Years - Blame The Weather! (Reuters, 1/9/08)