WASHINGTON, June 11 (UPI) -- Retail sales dropped to $362.5 billion in May, 1.2 percent lower than April, the U.S. Commerce Department said Friday.
Economists had predicted a rise of 0.1 percent rise for the month. In April, retail sales rose 0.6 percent.
Excluding automobile sales, retail dropped 1.1 percent in May, despite a prediction that sales would rise 0.2 percent without vehicle sales being taken into account.
Compared to a year ago in May, sales rose 6.9 percent. For a three-month stretch, March through May, sales were up 8.1 percent from the same three months a year ago.
For the month, gasoline station sales rose 20.2 percent from a year ago. Non-store retail sales rose 15.6 percent from May 2008, while retail trade sales were up 7.4 percent from a year earlier.
