WASHINGTON: US retail sales edged upwards as the holiday season approached in November but were significantly slower than in the prior month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales stood at $465.5 billion, an increase of 0.1 percent over October, a somewhat disappointing result as analysts had expected a 0.3 percent increase.
The result was still 3.8 percent above the same month last year.
Excluding cars and auto parts, sales posted a slightly stronger 0.2 percent gain for the month.
Restaurants saw strong gains, rising 0.8 percent, and sales were also up at stores for home furnishings, food and beverage stores and gas stations.
Sales of auto parts, however, fell 0.5 percent.