Retail sales up 0.5 percent month to month

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Retail sales rose 0.5 percent from September to October, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

Retail sales, including food service sales, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for prices, rose rose more than the predicted 0.3 percent, climbing to $397.7 billion.

Sales were 7.2 percent higher than October 2010, the bureau said in a release.

Retail trade sales rose 0.6 percent from September and 7.3 percent above October 2010. Gasoline station sales rose 15.6 percent from the same month a year earlier. Non-store sales, including Internet and catalog sales, rose 11.1 percent from October 2010.