Most retailers beat August sales expectations Thursday as parents opened up their wallets to get children ready for school.

STEWART F. HOUSE/Special Contributor

Nastia Liukin's new line at J.C. Penney, Supergirl, performed well in August. Penney saw its sales rise 2.3 percent, with strongest results in men's and kids' clothes.

Tax-free holidays and back-to-school needs inspired consumers to shop last month, and retailers should benefit this month from post-Labor Day school starts in mostly Northern states.

But sales comparisons from a year ago will start getting tougher in September because that's when consumers shook off their recessionary doldrums. And analysts are worried that consumers might retreat again until it's time to buy Christmas presents.

Plano-based J.C. Penney Co. and other department stores were among August's surprising performers. Penney saw its sales rise 2.3 percent, with strongest results in men's and children's apparel. That beat analysts' forecast of a 1.6 percent increase.

Macy's sales rose 4.3 percent, and Kohl's posted a 4.5 percent increase. Both beat analyst expectations.

Stock market volatility and depressed home values toned down spending by wealthier households. August luxury sales at Neiman Marcus and Saks weren't as robust.

Some of the worst performers were teen retailers. Still, the sector registered a 2.2 percent increase for August.

The International Council of Shopping Centers said its index of 31 major retailers rose 3.2 percent for August, just higher than the 3 percent prediction. The industry group projects a 3 percent rise this month.

The results don't include Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which stopped reporting monthly results last year. Last month, Wal-Mart reported its fifth consecutive quarterly decline in U.S. same-store sales.

Retailers aren't seeing consistency in nonpeak shopping trends, said Brian Sozzi, analyst at Wall Street Strategies Inc. He wonders if consumers saved up from April to July for back-to-school and are now preparing to "close up shop until the holidays."

If that's the case, Sozzi said, retailers' revenue in September and October will be volatile and expose declines in prices.

Stores already have stepped up their discounting.

"Today's retail environment is extremely competitive, and teens and parents alike are doing their homework before heading out to the malls or shopping online," said retail analyst Jennifer Black of Jennifer Black & Associates. "Promotions continue to be at the forefront for today's consumer."

Penney has discounted its new exclusive kids apparel brands, Uproar and Supergirl by Nastia. Both performed well, and overall sales were robust in key back-to-school categories such as tops, backpacks and denim, the retailer said.

Luxury retailers had less clearance merchandise to sell as they tightened inventories.

Dallas-based Neiman Marcus' August same-store sales rose 2.9 percent and New York-based Saks Inc.'s comparable store sales were up 1 percent.

Neiman Marcus' total sales rose 3.9 percent to $250 million. Strongest sales were in the company's stores in the West and New York City's Bergdorf Goodman.

Women's shoes and handbags, designer jewelry and men's departments performed the best. Online and catalog sales increased 3.6 percent in August. Neiman Marcus is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results Sept. 14.

Saks, which has been the subject of takeover rumors, was expected to do much better in August, but total sales for the month fell 0.9 percent to $159.3 million from $160.7 million. The retailer said it had less clearance inventory.

The operator of Saks Fifth Avenue and Off 5th stores said it continues to expect same-store sales growth in the mid-single digits for the second half of the year.

Ongoing volatility in the financial markets negatively affected the luxury sector and, to a lesser extent, the jewelry sector, according to MasterCard Advisors, which analyzes data from credit cards, checks and cash purchases to form sales estimates.

Overall, luxury retail sales declined 1 percent in August and remained 13.8 percent below the same month in 2008, according to MasterCard data released Wednesday.