Sentence examples for difficult comparisons from inspiring English sources

The primary culprit, Mr. Rohrs wrote, is the difficult comparisons with fall 2002, when spending for commercials on local TV stations surged compared with spending a year earlier.

Comcast said it was pleased with the increase because of the difficult comparisons in the second quarter when growth usually slows.

Sales suffered in part from strong results in May, which could not be sustained, as well as from difficult comparisons to June 2003, when incentive programs buoyed sales.

Circuit City Stores Inc., the electronics retailer, reported sharply lower earnings for the fourth quarter today, citing economic and national security worries as well as difficult comparisons with results from the previous year.

But for the year, operating income in film was down 31 percent to $927 million, largely because of the success in 2010 of "Avatar," which made for difficult comparisons.

Sales in June suffered in part from unusually strong sales in May -- helped by incentives and sales to car rental fleets -- which could not be sustained, as well as from difficult comparisons to June 2003, when aggressive incentive programs helped sales.

Yet it is a difficult comparison to make.

The player was honest enough to mumble something about that being "a difficult comparison".

"June for many retailers was the most difficult comparison for the year," said Bob Drbul, a retailing analyst with Barclays Capital.

"The iPhone 6 is an anomaly, and so it creates a very difficult comparison for us," he said.

Judged by private-sector standards -- a difficult comparison to be sure -- chief executives and management experts tend to give the mayor high praise.