Holidays not so merry for retail sales

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Holiday shoppers apparently felt pinched by economic forces as retail sales in December fell from November, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

Retail sales decreased by 0.4 percent, the department's U.S. Census Bureau reported in a news release. Sales in November increased a revised 1 percent; originally the figure was estimated to be a 1.2 percent increase.

For the year, sales rose 4.2 percent, compared with a 5.9 percent increase in 2006.

Gasoline station sales were up 18.5 percent from December 2006, although down 1.7 percent from November, the department said.