Weekend storm economic hit not as bad as feared

Restaurants, theaters, other entertainment venues and some retailers took the brunt of the hit, but overall, the impact might be a wash, said Chris Christopher, a U.S. macroeconomist at data firm IHS Global Insight.

Some spending may just be delayed, like purchases of cars, houses, major appliances and even boots and warm clothing as people realize winter has finally set in.

"After they did their shoveling," Christopher said, "they could be online shopping or ordering movies" via Netflix or cable on-demand services.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, noted airlines and others in the transportation industry lost money, though they expect at least one big storm every winter.

[...] that wasn't looking likely in a few areas, particularly the hard-hit Washington, D.C., region.

Because the airlines waived fees for changing flights, some people traveled earlier than planned.

UPS spokesman Steve Gaut said it will restore pickup and delivery service Monday where streets have been cleared, adding its teams were assessing road conditions and implementing contingency plans to help ensure shipments arrive quickly as conditions permit.