New York ? A bigger-than-expected buying spree over Thanksgiving weekend, fueled by a flurry of discounts, brought some relief to the nation’s retailers, but overall November sales were modest.

Wall Street analysts remain cautious about whether consumers will continue to splurge on apparel and toys during the next couple of weeks, reversing what is expected to be a lackluster holiday season.

As the nation’s retailers reported November sales Thursday, Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, announced a slim gain that met Wall Street’s expectations. But plenty of department stores and mall-based apparel chains posted high single-digit declines in sales at stores open at least a year, though results were in line with analysts’ modest expectations.

Among the few exceptions was Gap, which recorded a high single-digit gain in so-called same-store sales, well exceeding Wall Street projections.