are no worse, local retailers said yesterday.

Some shopkeepers said comparisons to last year were difficult, because Christmas falls on a Friday this year, whereas last year it fell on a Wednesday.

"We've still got four days until Christmas,'' said A.S. Cooper and Sons Ltd.

controller Mr. John Mills. "At this time last year, there were only two days until Christmas.'' Mr. Bobby Rego, chairman of the sales division of the Chamber of Commerce and general manager of The Knick Knack, said shoppers are usually busy in the week leading up to Christmas when the holiday falls on a weekend.

"I would say retailers generally are expecting to match last year's figures,'' Mr. Rego said. "Very few are optimistic that they are going to do better.'' And although last Christmas was not a good season for Bermuda merchants, most are "very content to be able to match last year,'' he added.

At Trimingham Bros., president Mr. Eldon Trimingham said: "We think it will probably come out about flat with last year. Mind you, last year was a disaster.'' To some extent, Bermuda retailers are competing with shopping malls in the US, where retailers do not have to pay 20 percent duty and freight costs are substantially lower, Mr. Trimingham said.

Despite that, cosmetics, perfumes, luggage, crystal, and china are "substantially'' cheaper in Bermuda than in the States, he said.

Mr. Trimingham said he took some comfort from the slight rise in the retail sales index in October. It was the first year-over-year rise in the index in two years.

"I think it was generated by increased visitor spending, or a portion of it was,'' he said. If the trend of increased US consumer confidence continues, Bermuda retailers should see an improvement by spring, he said.

At A.S. Cooper, Mr. Mills said: "We are keeping abreast of last year,'' and after three years of recession, management is happy to equal last year's numbers.

Mr. Henry Vesey, president of H.A.&E. Smith Ltd., agreed the fact there are two more shopping days in the last week before Christmas "clouds the issue''.

"To forecast it now is difficult,'' Mr. Vesey said. "A lot of people put off shopping until the last minute.'' More than half of the Christmas shopping volume is typically done in the last five or six shopping days, he said. He too felt most retailers "would probably feel fairly satisfied to have equalled last year.'' With fewer workers in the country, "I certainly don't expect to exceed last year,'' Mr. Vesey said. The non-Bermudian workers who have left the Island not only spent money at Christmas themselves, they put more money in the pockets of Bermudians.

"If you lose 1,000 workers, you don't just lose 1,000 consumers,'' he said.

"You lose much more than that.'' Most retailers interviewed did not expect a rash of store closures in the quiet period after Christmas, and Mr. Vesey agreed.

"However, we can't go through another 12 months without seeing some growth in this market,'' he said. "Otherwise, there will be a thinning out.''