The numbers are in for retailers for the month of July. The month only saw small gains in consumer spending on retail goods.

July was a month when retailers everywhere seemed to be having large sales on clothing, furniture, and just about anything else you would see at your local mall. Chain-store sales nationwide rose 2.8 percent in the month of July compared to the previous month. This a legitimate increase, but not as much as experts had expected.

Some retailers did better than expected, while others did not perform up to their expectations. For example, JC Penny Co saw a drop in sales, while they had been expecting an increase. On the other hand, competitor Macy’s saw an increase in sales.

July usually is a month which can go either way. It is getting close to back-to-school shopping, but not close enough for many consumers to go out and make large purchases. Many shoppers hold off on shopping in July because of expected back-to-school sales that hit in August. We can almost certainly expect larger gains this month as school is getting closer, and sales should be even larger.