Unease over the begging of the holiday sales season was somewhat relieved this weekend. In-store sales on Black Friday came in line with expectations, but online sales beat expectations.

The stock market digested the bland Friday sales, and stocks drifted downward as consumer spending this holiday season is seen as an indicator of how quickly the economy will recover.

In store sales increased 0.5 percent year over year on Friday as shoppers turned to retailers looking for extra steep Black Friday discounts. The 0.5 percent increase was in line with what analysts expected. It was noted by many retailers that foot traffic had increased, but the average ticket price per customer was lower.

The shopping scene turned rosier for the economy on Monday, known as cyber Monday, when workers returned to work and shopped online for deals. Sales jumped 16 percent year over year for online sales.

Online retailer Amazon.com said on its Web site today that the hottest selling items are electronics, toys, kitchen items and digital cameras.

Internet sales on Monday totaled close to $595 million, nearly matching the total online sales on Friday. Analysts said consumers are shopping online more during the recession for the ease of comparing prices and finding deals.

Consumer spending accounts for nearly two-thirds of U.S. economic output, and this holiday shopping season will give a telltale sign of the swiftness of the recovery.