News release: “ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) today reported that total GAFO retail sales for Christmas week (week ending Dec. 25) slipped 4.1 percent compared to last year, while the company’s retail traffic index (SRTI) reported a strong 6.8 percent total U.S. foot traffic decline for the same period..ShopperTrak also measured the impact of the blizzard which crippled the Northeast particularly on Dec. 26 and 27 strongly impacted retail traffic in the region and across the country. The company’s analysis shows because of the blizzard…Preliminary GAFO retail sales estimates for Dec. 26 and 27 combined are roughly $10 billion. Assuming a conservative 10 percent sales impact nationally for the blizzard, roughly $1 billion of retail spending was postponed during the two day period.”