Washington, DC, June 14--Retail sales fell 0.5% in May, according to the Commerce Department. Analysts had forecast a drop of 0.1%.
Excluding auto sales, retail sales fell 0.2%, slightly less than the 0.3% economists were expecting.
In May, sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers dropped 1.6%. Sales of other durable goods were mixed: building material sales improved by 0.5%, while furniture sales rose 0.4% and electronics and appliance store sales fell 0.1%.
Sales at general merchandise were off 0.1%. Within that category, department store sales fell 0.9%. Clothing store sales dropped 0.8% in May. Sales at leisure-time stores such as sporting goods and books rose 0.5%.
Gasoline station sales dropped 1.6%. Sales at food stores increased 0.1%. Sales at restaurants and bars decreased 0.3%. Sales at health and personal care stores increased 0.8%.
Sales at non-store outlets such as catalogs and online stores fell 1.1%.
