Retail sales dropped 1.1% in November compared with October, making the second monthly drop in a row, with apparel and food service taking the worst hits, according to the Census Bureau. October sales were revised downward to reflect a 0.1% monthly drop.
Losing retail categories for the month included not only apparel (sales down 6.8%) and restaurants and bars (down 4%), but also electronics retailers (down 3.5%) and car dealers (down 1.7%). Department stores, the perennial Charlie Brown of the retail sector, suffered a drop in sales of 7.7% for the month.
In fact, most kinds of retail sales edged down for the month, though a few sectors scored gains, such as grocery stores, up 1.9%, and building supply and garden equipment purveyors, up 1.1%. Internet sales eked out a 0.2% gain for the month.
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