NEW YORK — Shoppers were making lists and checking them twice this weekend — and then sticking to them, holding out for good deals that analysts say could be coming this week.

While heavy traffic and little sign of clearance discounts during the weekend are clear improvements for retailers from last year’s dismal season, many are still taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m playing chicken with retailers, still, until next weekend,” said Matt Schuld, a shopper at a Target in Portland, Ore. He said a good deal is “imperative, as always.”

Schuld might win the staredown. Retailers will begin amping up deals this week, NPD analyst Marshal Cohen said.

Consumers’ turn

“This weekend is the last weekend for retailers to try to get whatever they could. Now it’s the consumer’s turn,” he said. “Every retailer will pick a different day this week to deepen the discounts. Fifty percent off will be the starting point, and it will go up to 60 percent and 75 percent off within the store.”

He expects shoppers to spend marginally more than last year. Electronics and cold-weather clothing like sweaters and scarves are among the most popular sellers.

Retailers have cut down on inventory all year and planned holiday sales well in advance this year.

BMO Capital Markets analyst John Morris, who tracks the amount and the depth of sales through his “sale rack index,” said the index was up 8 percent this year but said it wasn’t accelerating like last year.

“We’re still not seeing retailers hit the panic button,” he said. “It’s still relatively controlled.”

Grappling with the weak economy and high unemployment, consumers have been skittish on spending this year. But there are signs that is improving.

The Commerce Department reported Friday sales rose 1.3 percent last month, after a 1.1 percent October gain, the healthiest advance since August and more than double the increase economists had expected.

In addition, Thanksgiving weekend sales were modestly positive, raising hopes for the shopping season. Consumer spending, which drives 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, is crucial to any sustained rebound.

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