The amount of revenue a retail location generated in the most recent accounting period, relative to the amount of revenue it generated in a similar period in the past. Comparable store sales are most commonly used to compare the most recent year's holiday shopping season, to last year's, or to compare this week, month, quarter or year's sales to last week, month, quarter or year's sales.
By comparing sales across different periods, company management and investors can determine how well a retail store is doing. Comparable store sales not only provide a picture of how specific locations are performing, they can also tell a story about how a retailer is performing, on the whole.
Comparable store sales, or "comps," is just another term for same store sales.