Costco, Target, BJ's All Miss Mark (Update2)

Last month Wal-Mart Stores(WMT Quote) announced that it will no longer report monthly sales data. The company has been a harbinger of the economic climate and one of the few retailers to continuously calm investors with decent-to-strong numbers.

Of all the sectors, analysts have been most bullish on discounters, as consumers trade down to save on basic household goods. Given that Target, Costco and BJ's rely heavily on non-essentials such as apparel and electronics, it's not surprising both missed expectations.

Not surprising -- but also not so comforting.