Charming Shoppes Sales Not So Charming

Maybe investors should believe Charming Shoppes(CHRS Quote) executives when they say their quarterly results were disappointing.

Sure, the plus-size apparel retailer narrowed its loss in the first quarter, on par with analysts expectations, but its same-store sales were not competitive with other retailers in the women's sector -- which company executives readily owned up to.

During the quarter the company recorded a loss of $6.6 million, or 6 cents a share, compared with a loss of $46.8 million, or 41 cents, in the year-ago period. Excluding one-time items, the company actually posted a surprise profit of 1 cent a share, surpassing analysts expectations of a 5 cent loss. ...