NEW YORK -- While near-record crowds took to post-Thanksgiving retailers, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. lowered its prediction for November sales. Before the weekend announcement, the retailer had expected an increase between 2 and 4 percent, but lowered that to just 0.7 percent.

J.C. Penney Co. and Sears, Roebuck & Co. also remained cautious about overall holiday sales.

But elsewhere, sales were brisk, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Charge-card data collected by Visa USA indicate cardholders charged a combined $7.4 billion on their Visa cards at retail stores Friday and Saturday, a 14.3 percent increase over the same period last year. Use of debit cards was up sharply, possibly the result of worries about debt: Shoppers spent $3.3 billion using debit cards in the two-day period, a 20.2 percent rise over last year.

"It's the upper end that's really carrying the day," said Bloomingdale's Chairman Michael Gould. Bloomingdale's, a unit of Federated Department Stores Inc., decided to be "less promotional," holding prices firmer this year and opting against its usual pre-Thanksgiving sales event. Yet sales are still running ahead of last year, the newspaper said.

Copyright 2004 by United Press International