ICSC still predicts that overall holiday sales will improve by 3% to 4% over last year, though holiday sales so far are not as strong as last year, the organization notes in a report. In 2003, sales over the holiday shot up 4% from the previous year.

Only 6% of consumers have completed their holiday shopping so far this year, ICSC says. "There is plenty of shopping still in the pipeline," the report says.

Sales for the week ended Nov. 27 were down by 1.5% compared to the previous week, according to the ICSC-UBS retail chain store sales index. It was the worst week-over-week performance retailers have posted since Sept. 4. Sales were up on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when nearly one-third of all consumers shopped, but dragged on Saturday.Year-over-year same-store sales, however, improved by 2.4%.