Well, I hate to say I told you so, but… I told you so.
A lot of you call me a Pollyanna for being a bit too upbeat. Well guess what? Maybe for a good reason. You won't see or hear this often from the doom-and-gloomers, so record this moment. A lead story in USA Today with the headline, "Retailers Celebrated Happy Holidays After All."
You heard that right.
The Christmas shopping season that everyone thought would be pathetic wasn't pathetic at all.
Key retail surveys show gains of anywhere from two to three percent over last year. Now, that might not sound like a lot, but it's a lot better than the flat to down most so-called experts predicted.
What's more, take slower selling apparel and department stores out of the picture, and some sales were up more than quadruple that.
Discount stores were up 5 percent last month. Wal-Mart was up more than 8 percent. Costco 8 percent. Off-price retailer Marshall's and T.J. Maxx, up north of 10 percent.
So, the bottom line is that the bottom line's improving for most retailers because most folks aren't tapped out or giving up.
The experts might be depressed as hell, but not so the folks they claim to know so well.
Are there still problems out there? You bet. And God knows you'll be hearing a lot about them. But there is good news out there too.
You won't hear it often, but even the most cynical journalist will have to face reality. The grim world he paints isn't necessarily the real world we live in.
What do you think? Send your comments to: cavuto@foxnews.com
Watch Neil Cavuto's Common Sense weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on Your World with Neil Cavuto.
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