NY Times reports it is not only retail stores that are feeling the pinch as shoppers close their wallets just ahead of the holiday season. E-commerce sales, though still growing faster than retail, are hurting, too. E-commerce spending growth slowed to 6% in the third quarter over the year before, down from 13% in the second quarter, according to comScore. Growth rates have declined every month since April, and September's rate of 5% was the lowest recorded by comScore since it started tracking e-commerce in 2001.