WASHINGTON — There was no holiday cheer for retailers as consumers dramatically reduced their spending.
Retail sales fell 2.78% in December, the sixth consecutive monthly decline, the Commerce Department reported today. Last month's figures were 9.8% less than those in November 2007. Overall sales for 2008 were .1% less than 2007.
Total retail and food sales in December were $343 billion, down from the revised figure of $352.6 billion for November.
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December's numbers showed a .7% drop in automobile sales (a 22.4% decline from December 2007) and a 3.1% drop in all other types of retail sales (a 6.7% decline from November 2007).
Sales fell or experienced slight increases in almost all of the retail categories measured. The largest drop was at gasoline stations, which saw a decline of 15.9%, triggered by falling prices.
Other retail sectors experiencing declining sales included building/garden supplies (2.9%) and non-store retailers (1.9%).
Health and personal care stores and miscellaneous store retailers were the only categories that saw sales increase, .4% and .5%, respectively.
Sales at department stores, general; merchandise stores and restaurants fell 2.3%, 1.3% and 2.2%, respectively.
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