U.S. holiday retail sales growth weakest since 2008
A woman rides the escalator past a giant holiday ornament at the CambridgeSide Galleria mall in Cambridge, Mass., Monday. Although fresh data on the holiday shopping season is expected in coming days, early figures point to a ho-hum season for retailers despite last-ditch efforts to lure shoppers over the final weekend before Christmas. And with concerns about the economy and the looming �fiscal cliff� weighing on the minds of already cautious shoppers, analyst say stores will need to offer �once in a lifetime� blowouts to clear out inventory. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
