Is retail showing signs of life, or are we witnessing a shuffling, reanimated semblance? Appropriately enough for the Halloween season, October's retail sales data seemed to harbor more than a few "zombies."

Overall, the entire sector posted a 2.2% increase in sales, which certainly seems quite lively. Data from researcher Retail Metrics showed the best month for retail sales since April 2008. However, that number should be compared to October 2008, when retail sales fell 3.5%, as it became clear the economy was in serious crisis mode. So let's just say it wasn't too hard for the sector to show a year-over-year improvement.

Overall, discounters were the bright spot, while teen retail had a few dead zones. Let's look at a few of the results:

Company

CAPS Rating (out of 5)

October Comps

October Net Sales

Costco (Nasdaq: COST)

****

5.0%

7.0%

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF)

**

(15.0%)

(5.0%)

Gap (NYSE: GPS)

*

4.0%

5.0%

Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO)

**

3.0%

9.0%

Buckle (NYSE: BKE) Continued...