Rain and escalating job worries dampened shoppers' appetite for summer staples like shorts and dresses more than expected in June, increasing concerns about the back-to-school shopping season.
Retailers in all sectors reported weak same-store sales Thursday, but mall-based clothing stores suffered most in June compared with a year earlier, while some discounters scraped by.
Even low-priced Costco Wholesale Corp. saw same-store sales decline from last year, when federal stimulus checks helped business. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. no longer reports same-store sales each month.
Same-store sales _ sales at stores open at least a year _ are considered a key indicator of a retailer's health.
"Consumers are ...