NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - More news out on the consumer today suggesting that, yes, sales on the day after Thanksgiving were strong, but that doesn't tie up the holiday shopping season in a bright red bow for retailers. Not yet anyway.

Here's a number to ponder. Weekly chain store sales fell 1.5% in the week ended November 27 (that was Saturday of this past weekend), according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

However, Mike Niemira, of the ICSC says that sales were strong on Friday, according to the retailers he surveys. But they were quite weak on Saturday. They perked up a bit on Sunday, he reports, so maybe the current week will be okay.

As for the month of November, he lowered his forecast to a gain of 2.5% from 3.0%, a "so-so" kind of gain.

What matters most isn't the month just ended, it's the month that lies ahead because more and more it's the final few days before Christmas when people pick up the pace and really start shopping.

One good piece of news for procrastinators: there are 29 shopping days from Thanksgiving to Christmas this year compared with 27 in 2003. And, as we have all been learning the past few years, the discounts get deeper and the sales get more pervasive the closer we get to Christmas.

Retailers apparently would rather sell it to you with a 40% discount before the holidays rather than sell it to you at 70% discount afterwards. And of course that's a big problem for the stores and a big plus for shoppers -- if they can wait to purchase until after Dec. 25th.

The fact that Wal-Mart said its sales were soggy last week because they didn't offer enough discounts seems to play to this point that shoppers want bargains -- and they want them now. When all is said and done, we may find that the insatiable American consumer has stepped up to the department store plate, opened their purse strings, and racked up some nice holiday shopping gains.

But so far it looks like savvy consumers are saying: "I'm happy to purchase as long as the stores are willing to cut the price."  

Kathleen Hays is economics correspondent for CNN and contributes to Lou Dobbs Tonight.