Retail Sales Rise 0.9% in November

etail sales in the United States rose 0.9% in November to $322.4 billion on surging vehicle and electronics purchases, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.

Last month's gain follows no change in October, previously reported as a 0.3% decrease, Commerce said. Economists had expected retail sales to rise 0.7%, Bloomberg reported.

Excluding autos, sales rose 0.4% for a second month, marking the seventh straight increase.

Sales at electronics and appliance stores rose 2.2%, the most since May, while furniture sales increased 1%. Sales at clothing and accessory stores rose 1.1% after no change.

Receipts at service stations rose 1.6% last month following a 1.9% decline in October. Excluding cars and gasoline, sales rose 0.3%.

The few areas of weakness in November sales included department stores and grocery stores, which may have been restrained by the ongoing strike by around 70,000 employees in California and three other states, Commerce said.

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