Headlines

Consumer Spending for August

Specialty store sales increase; department store sales decrease

Published

9 years ago

September 17, 2015

The U.S. Commerce Department released its monthly report for spending during the month of August, which revealed a modest increase in retail sales at specialty stores and general merchandise stores.

Seasonally adjusted sales at apparel and accessories stores rose 0.4 percent. For the past four months, these stores have posted year-over-year growth at 3 percent or more. General merchandise stores’ sales also rose 0.4 percent; up 1.3 percent from last year. Department stores, however, posted a 0.2 percent decline in sales for the month, bringing them down 1.9 percent from last year.

These numbers reflect a trend economists have been tracking for the past few months: Customers’ spending is increasing, but not by much. According to Women’s Wear Daily, economists project that consumer spending will remain “relatively positive” for the rest of the year.

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