November Retail Sales Down 1.8%

December 11, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on December 12, 2008 The U.S. Department of Commerce reported Friday that the nation's retail sales fell 1.8 percent in November, the fifth straight month of decline, and were down 7.4 percent compared with a year earlier, and record declines in gas retail prices are a big reason why.Excluding a 14.7 percent drop in sales at gas stations, retail sales were down only 0.2 percent for November, and some sectors had large increases. Commerce revised October and September sales to reflect respective monthly decreases of 2.9 percent and 1.6 percent.