I made a stop at a few retail outlets, including Brookfield Square, this morning and was prepared for the worst. But, to my surprise, although there were shoppers and some returners, it wasn't very crowded.

It was certainly more crowded than your average Wednesday morning, but considering a lot of people are still out of the office, the scene was pretty mellow.

Although the newspapers have been filled with advertisements for post-Christmas sales and TV's had a few things, too, I guess my experience was the living example of the article in today's New York Times -- as well as in other media lately -- noting that holiday retail sales were down, but that retailers expected it.

So, I guess that's bad news for them, but no surprise.

It did mean that I managed to get done a few things on my list without much hassle. It also meant people appeared to be in good moods, instead of that rushed, frantic, stressed-out crabbiness that we often find in malls and shops in the days after Christmas.