Tanks A Lot, Guys

Holiday retail sales numbers are in from the Commerce department, and they're pretty dismal.

Sales at U.S. retailers fell at a steeper-than-expected rate in December, government data showed on Wednesday, as a deteriorating economic environment forced consumers to cut back on spending during the key holiday period.

The Commerce Department said total retail sales fell 2.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted $343.2 billion last month following a revised 2.1 percent drop in November, previously reported as a 1.8 percent decline.

December's drop was the biggest since October last year when sales fell 3.4 percent. For the whole of 2008, sales eased 0.1 percent, the department said.

Excluding motor vehicles and parts, sales were down a record 3.1 percent after a revised 2.5 percent decline in November, previously reported as a 1.6 percent drop, the department said. Total sales, excluding autos, rose 3.0 percent in 2008.

Needless to say, that level of precipitous drop in retail sales during the three busiest shopping months of the year all but guarantees a bloodbath in the retail industry in 2009.

A lot of people are about to lose their jobs as stores will go under during the year in 2009. Count on it. Dow immediately opened up down 150 or so on this news, and it's going to get worse.