U.S. retailers reported another month of lower same-store sales in January, though the declines in general weren't as bad as feared, as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) rebounded from a weak December with results above expectations.

Sales for stores open a year or more in January dropped 1.8%, compared with analysts' expectations for a 2.3% decline.

The drop was the second biggest behind November's 2.1% decline, according to Thomson Reuters, which began gathering data at the beginning of this decade.

But trouble spots remained at some consistent underperformers of late. Target Corp. (TGT) said its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings won't meet analysts' expectations because of markdowns and account-receivables woes. Gap Inc. (GPS) reported a 23% sales slump, led by a 34% plunge at its long-ailing Old Navy chain.

Wal-Mart until December had been showing that it was benefiting from the slumping sales seen by other retailers as consumers trade down and do more bargain shopping.

But in January Wal-Mart's U.S. same-store-sales growth, excluding gasoline, rose to 2.1% with the namesake chain posting a 2.1% increase and Sam's Club seeing 2.4% growth. The results edged the high end of Wal-Mart's forecast last month of flat to 2% growth for January.

The increase, while not terribly big, is much better than how the retail sector as a whole has been faring.

While saying its stores "are performing very well," Wal-Mart Vice Chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright noted the just-concluded fiscal year's same-store-sales growth was triple that of the prior year.

Wal-Mart also switched from providing monthly sales forecasts to quarterly ones. For the period started Saturday, the company anticipates U.S. same-store-sales growth of 1% to 3%.

Wal-Mart, during a conference call that accompanied its January same-store sales release, said changing to quarterly sales projections "is a more appropriate measure for the investment community, especially when consumer swings are more difficult to predict. And it is more consistent with the long-term view we take on our business."

The decision by the world's biggest retailer drew mixed responses.

The move is "disappointing" because it "limits visibility into operations" at a time when investors are especially eager for insights about what's going on in the retail industry, said Joseph Agnese, retail analyst at Standard & Poor's Equity Research.

Brian Sozzi, equity analyst at Wall Street Strategies, said in a research note that Wal-Mart's decision was the right one, "despite the thirst for increased transparency."

The retail backdrop "is incredibly volatile, and any blip on the comp[arable sales] line may cause management teams to focus on the near-term rather than adopting strategies to emerge successfully from the recession," Sozzi said.

Wal-Mart wasn't alone Thursday in changing its flow of information.

Struggling apparel retailers Chico's FAS Inc. (CHS) and Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. (PSUN) said they will no longer report monthly sales results.

Pacific Sunwear also said it will only provide earnings guidance on a quarter-by-quarter basis "in light of the unprecedented and uncertain nature of the current economic and consumer environment."

Pacific Sunwear posted an 11% drop in January comparable-store sales, when a 14.2% decline was expected. Chico's reported a 14.5% drop in same-store sales for last month, when a 13% decline was predicted.

In recent trading, Wal-Mart shares were up $1.92, or 4.1%, to $48.34. Pacific Sunwear was off 1 cent, or 1%, to $1.15. Chico's was ahead 31 cents, or 9.1%, to $3.73.

Same-store sales as a whole fell for the fourth-consecutive month in January for the 35 retailers that Thomson Reuters tracks. Some 56% of retailers beat expectations, on a par with December's 55%; 44% missed projections, compared with 42% in December.

The retail industry's troubles reflect the continued deterioration of consumer confidence, which has crashed to record lows of late. That is proven not just by surveys but by the biggest drop for consumer spending in decades, and even deep discounts that attracted shoppers as the month began lost their effectiveness as January progressed.

Apparel and department-store chains have been weak performers for some time and that continued in January. Department stores in general reported declines worse than expected, with many posting double-digit percentage drops. Saks Inc. (SKS) posted a 23.7% drop, the biggest percentage decline of any of the retailers tracked by Thomson Reuters. J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) reported January same-store sales fell 16.4%, when an 11.7% decline was projected.

On the apparel side, discounter TJX Cos. (TJX) reported a 4% decline as it projected earnings at the high end of its lowered view, while teen chain Aeropostale Inc. (ARO) posted a much-bigger-than-expected 11% jump and boosted its profit view.

Struggling Limited Brands Inc. (LTD) reported a 9% drop. The parent of Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works last month projected a mid- to high-teens drop on a percentage basis for January as it slashed its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings forecast.

And high-flier Buckle Inc. (BKE) again remained far above its peers, reporting a 14.7% increase which was well above analysts' expectations for 9.3%. The teen-apparel company has posted double-digit percentage growth in same-store sales for 18 consecutive months.

-By Karen Talley, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5106; karen.talley@dowjones.com

(Kevin Kingsbury contributed to this report.)