Retail sales were 3.8% better than last year in the first week of December, after a 4.9% gain in the last week of November, according to the Johnson Redbook retail sales index.
For the month to date, sales increased 3.8% from last year.
Retailers said average transaction tickets were generally ahead of last year, according to the report.
"With Hanukkah having begun on Wednesday, retailers saw increases in both traffic and sales during the week," the report said. "If December follows a typical pattern, as expected, sales are likely to slow down in the next week or two before accelerating into both the pre- and post-Christmas rush."
Chain store sales declined 2.1% the week ended Dec. 4, and were 2.6% behind the same week last year, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs weekly chain store sales index.
"The post-Black Friday lull once again dominated the spending pattern over the past week after an impressive and strong Black Friday performance," said Michael Niemira, ICSC director of research and chief economist. "This early-December slowdown has become quite common in recent years, but since consumers continue to report that their holiday gift-shopping completion rate is far lower than in recent years, sales should accelerate in the coming weeks."
