Monthly same-store sales reports used to be a pretty big deal, but now they're becoming extinct. A Street.com report says that this month only 22 retailers are reporting this data any more.

Arguments for this are that the practice only applied to apparel and department-store retailers anyway, so it never really gave a clear picture of what was happening in the industry. Plus, some chains are mixing their online sales into the data, so it doesn't really give a clear picture as to what is happening in stores.

But it does take away a certain level of transparency. A lot can happen in a quarter, and it's interesting to know how particular events during a month, such as weather or a macroeconomic situation can impact a retailer.