Consumers were a bit more willing to open up their wallets last month as retail sales increased 1.4%, following a 1.5% decline in September, the Commerce Department reported today.
October's figures were 1.7% below those of October 2008. From August through October, sales were 1.5% higher than a year ago.
Total retail and food sales in October were $347.5 billion, compared with $344.6 billion in September.
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October's numbers showed a 0.2% decrease in non-automobile sales from September, but that number represented a 2.6% drop from October 2008.
There was a 7.4% increase in automobiles and automobile parts sales from September and a 2.6% decline from October 2008.
Most types of stores had slight increases in sales, except: building/home improvement, electronics, furniture and sporting goods/hobby/book stores.
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