U.S. retailers say February sales rose modestly, though possiblydragged down by a blustery winter that hurt early sales of springmerchandise and interrupted shopping in several regions. Thereis some talk that stores hurt themselves by overreacting toprospects of an economic slowdown and understockingmerchandise they would otherwise have sold. Merchants arealso downplaying the oft-heard observation that morediscretionary money is plowed into utility bills, thus imperilingretail.