"We're up to about 122 stores of our 188 that are available to be open.”

Not all shopping months are created equal.

But the underlying trends appear better than the ho-hum headline data suggests, one economist says.

The solid result is the latest in a string of data that suggests the economy bounced back in March, after a weak February.

The result, which beat economists' expectations, was the first increase since October.

The prolonged resource price downturn has taken a tole on the Estevan oil sector, and the pinch is being felt downtown on 4th Street.

While traditional shopping still dominates retail sales, online shopping in Canada continues to surge — and Quebec's bricks-and-mortar retailers are trying to adapt.

Saskatchewan's retail sales dropped 2.7 per cent between July and August, while posting the second slowest growth in Canada.

The reading is unlikely to have a significant impact on the next Bank of Canada decision on interest rates.

Overall retail sales expanded a solid 1.5 per cent in October, the latest report shows.