Retail = No Sale

Retail sales weren't even that good. As I go over each comp number and I factor in the calendar change from last year's Easter shift -- extra day in March -- I come back with the startling thought that the only really good number was Wal-Mart (WMT - commentary - Cramer's Take). That's right, Wal-Mart.

Of course, that means it was all the expectations game. The other guys had taken down expectations to the point that their horrid numbers looked good, especially Nordstrom's (JWN - commentary - Cramer's Take), but Kohl's (KSS - commentary - Cramer's Take) and J.C. Penney (JCP - commentary - Cramer's Take) weren't so hot either. Abercrombie's (ANF - commentary - Cramer's Take) were terrible, the worst I have seen, but you could never lower them enough!

This same-store sales game was a sideshow -- it was all about the consumer feeling better so it really didn't matter. Is the consumer really better?

Things are getting better: stimulus, tax receipts and a popular president are making a difference. The run is too much but the stocks are still cheap, so I can't blame anyone for not selling.

So let 'em run!

At the time of publication, Cramer was long Wal-Mart.

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Know What You Own: Other discount variety stores include Target (TGT - commentary - Cramer's Take) and Costco (COST - commentary - Cramer's Take). For more on the value of knowing what you own, visit TheStreet.com's Investing A-to-Z section.

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