There was $505.8 billion in retail and food service sales in September, down 0.3 percent from the previous month but up 4.1 percent from September 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Core retail sales – excluding automobiles and gasoline – were unchanged from August. Year-over-year core sales increased 4.5 percent.
Retail trade sales declined 0.3 percent from August but are up 4.0 percent from one year prior. Sales at non-store retailers declined 3.9 percent. Non-store retailer sales are up 12.9 percent year-over-year as online retailers continue to grow their market share.
Sales at gasoline stations decreased 0.7 percent during September after declining 1.3 percent in August. Gasoline station sales are down 2.7 percent since September 2018.
Read the Census release.
