November, which is the kick off of the holiday buying season, ended with a mix of results. Consumers began swarming stores at the start of the month as holiday sales kicked off. In addition, Black Friday promotions drew crowds and buyers, but once the sales were gone, so were the consumers. Although a calendar shift assisted many retailers with a week more of business compared to a year ago, which will be a detriment come December. Although this pattern of high traffic and then a drop off has been reminiscent of previous years, it was more pronounced this year, with many factors affecting shoppers deciding to not to shop unless there was a deal, including the credit market and housing slump. For those retailers that missed estimates or had declining comps, blame was placed on these economic concerns. Overall, consumers are anticipated to return to the stores, as retailers will most likely offer new discounts to drive traffic.