Washington, Oct. 15--Retail sales fell for the first time in five months in September, driven down by a decline in the auto sector.
Retail sales declined 0.2%, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
The report showed greater strength in August than previously reported, however; sales advanced 1.2% instead of the 0.6% previously estimated.
Sales were pushed down by a 1.6% drop in sales at motor-vehicles and parts dealers. Excluding that category, sales would have gone up by 0.3%. Excluding gasoline as well, sales would have increased by 0.2%, a figure economists say is a better gauge of consumer spending.
Economists surveyed by CNBC and Dow Jones predicted overall sales would fall by 0.2% for the month but climb 0.5% excluding autos.
Sales at building-materials and garden-equipment stores rose 1.9%.
Furniture sales fell by 0.2%, while grocery-store sales increased by 0.2%. Sales at general-merchandise stores advanced by 0.3%, while sales at clothing stores climbed by 1.4%. Sales at gasoline stations increased by 0.3%. Sales at electronics and appliance stores dropped 0.3%.
On a year-over-year basis, retail sales advanced 7.5% in September.
