Walgreen’s Strip Tease

Walgreen’s (WAG) has quite the strip tease going on. Many retailers announce monthly sales. If you have the model figured out it’s not a bad way to track the investment. Walgreen’s has chosen its Analysts’ Day Conference today in Chicago to announce preliminary October comparable sales results through Oct. 28. Complete October monthly sales will be announced on Nov. 4.

Through the first 28 days of October, sales in comparable stores (those open at least a year) rose 2.2 percent. Comparable store front-end sales were flat. Comparable pharmacy sales through Oct. 28 increased 3.4 percent.

Here is the kicker the last line of the announcement reads “The company does not anticipate announcing partial-month sales results again in the foreseeable future.”

Heretofore Walgreen’s has religiously announced monthly sales slightly after month end. The information was released consistently. Today without warning 28 out of 30 days was announced. Then the full 30 out of 30 will be announced. Just reminds me of a strip tease.