Retail sales up slightly in week

U.S. sales receipts at chain stores rose marginally in the week ending Saturday, the International Council of Shopping Centers said Tuesday. Sales rose 0.5 percent from the previous week and 3.4 percent from the same week of 2011, the weekly shopping report said. In the past week, Texas -- Aug. 17-19 -- and Connecticut -- Aug. 19-25 -- completed their back-to-school sales tax holidays. "Overall customer traffic was considerably stronger during this past week at apparel-specialty stores," the report said. Weather may have helped with the average national temperature 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the same week of 2011. "Nationally, temperatures were the coolest in three years as a heat wave, which had been scorching the West with fires and triple-digit heat, has come to an end," Weather Trends International reported. Gasoline pries rose by 3.2 cents in the week to hit $3.775 per gallon on Aug. 27, ICSC said.