The improvement in September sales came largely because the stores had easier year-over-year comparisons. For the first time this year, retailers were comparing their sales with the abysmal numbers they began posting last fall, when the markets virtually collapsed. Stores also benefited from a calendar shift that pushed Labor Day, as well as the usual back-to-school shopping rush, later in September.
…jewelry, for instance, sales increased 1.2 percent in September from September 2008. But the dollar volume of sales…is about 10 percent lower than the sector was in September 2006 .