Dive Brief:

• Best Buy Co. Thursday reported a Q3 same-store sales slowdown and warned that the holidays could disappoint. Q3 same-store increased just 0.8%, a far cry from Q2’s 3.8% and below analyst expectations of 1.2%.

• While sales of computers, appliances, wearables, and big-screen TVs were more brisk, falling sales of tablets, mobile phones, and digital imaging dragged those down, the company said.

• The struggling electronics retailer had seemed to be steadying itself, although much of its profit strength of late has been the result of heavy cost cutting and not just revenue bumps.

Dive Insight:

Best Buy’s results continue a whiplash-inducing couple of weeks for retail, as reports swing from disappointing to heartening depending on the retailer and depending on the day. Just last quarter the retailer’s turnaround moves seemed to be paying off, but it's not seeing the momentum it needs heading into the holidays.

The retailer will be one of the few outside Apple stores to sell its Watch, but it’s unclear how much demand there will actually be for the wearable.

Best Buy will likely be helped by its suspension of shipping fees for online orders, which will hurt margins further, of course. And much will depend on which devices, like televisions, are available at what prices, considering that this year retailers will likely see savvy shoppers well equipped with search and comparison-shopping tools in the form of their smartphones.

CEO Hubert Joly promised highly promotional prices in a statement Thursday.