Even so, the average amount that customers spend a month dipped 2.8 percent from the third quarter last year, to $50.13.

Sales for the first nine months of 2003 dipped 7.4 percent compared with the same period last year.

But when the team began bouncing back, visits dipped 5 percent.

The rate subsequently dipped as low as 9 1/2 percent.

Construction orders also dipped 4.4 percent in September from the month last year.

If a big movie dipped more than 40 percent in its second weekend, it was considered a debacle.

Sales dipped 4 percent, to $546 million from $569 million.

Game 2 on Sunday dipped 31 percent to 8.6 million viewers.

This year, the average dipped 11 percent to 24,379 for the five-week season.

Even Seattle has dipped 10 percent, to 38,754 from an average of 43,146.