The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $375.5 billion, a decrease of 1.2 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month and 1.0 percent (±0.7%) below September 2007. Total sales for the July through September 2008 period were up 0.8 percent (±0.5%) from the same period a year ago. The July to August 2008 percent change was revised from -0.3 percent (±0.5%)* to -0.4 percent (±0.2%).
Retail trade sales were down 1.2 percent (±0.5%) from August 2008 and were 1.4 percent (±0.7%) below last year. Gasoline station sales were up 17.8 percent (±1.7%) from September 2007 and sales of food and beverage stores were up 5.1 percent (±0.8%) from last year.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
