New York City ? With Christmas a little more than a week away, many stores are finding themselves in the same predicament as in recent years: waiting for those last-minute shoppers who seem to be procrastinating even more than a year ago.

Based on early reports from analysts and malls, sales results were generally unimpressive this past weekend, as shoppers in many parts of the country were held back by winter weather. Consumers, fretting about economic worries, were also delaying their shopping even more this year, knowing there’s a full weekend before Christmas, when the bargains will be even better.

Meanwhile, for online retailers, which finished their busiest days last week, their fate appears to be already sealed: holiday sales didn’t live up to industry’s hopes as lower-income shoppers pulled back on spending amid a housing slump. ComScore Inc. reported on Sunday that online sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 14 rose 18 percent, below the 26 percent growth rate seen in the year-ago period and below the 20 percent projection for the season.

“This holiday season at this point has been disappointing, whether they’re brick and mortar, catalog or online,” said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, based in Charleston, S.C. “Shopper are more frugal and cost-conscious because they have less money to spend.”