A new year, but the same old story?. Retail same store sales continue to decline. After a dismal holiday season, January showed an overwhelming amount of red, and we don't mean a festive, 'yeh us!' color red. Part of the decline was due to the fact that there was less left over inventory from the holidays as retailers cut back on orders and stock. The other is the due to consumers cutting back and trading down. Shoppers who usually trailed the aisles at high end retailers, began to see what other retailers were offering. On a high note, though, overall results were not as poor as anticipated. Some teen apparel retailers saw increases, specifically Buckle, Aeropostale and Hot Topic. Wal-Mart continues to benefit from the lack of traffic at other stores as its prices and offerings are appreciated by many. As consumers continue to hit their head against the recession wall, retailers will be the hurt the most. Why buy new clothes if you can't afford to go out in them? Who needs new furniture, when a blanket and pillow on the floor creates 'family camping/picnicking time'? As we head into February, we should see a bit more traffic, since typically it is a month when consumers head back to the stores as malls, since winter weather is getting to most people and they need something to do. Then again, due to the economic climate, most will probably only buy big discounted items, as the last of winter goods are cleared out and the focus remains on necessities, like groceries, and low prices.