Retail Sales Rise 1.2% in May

etail sales in the United States rose 1.2% to $335.8 billion in May, the seventh increase in the last eight months, the Commerce Department said Monday.

May's gain followed a revised 0.6% decrease in April. Excluding autos, sales rose 0.7% after a 0.1% a month earlier.

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

A rise in retail gasoline prices also helped to boost total sales, Commerce said. Receipts at service stations rose 4% last month, the most since February 2003, following a 0.3% rise in April. The price for all grades of gasoline at the pump averaged $2.02 a gallon in May, 9.8% higher than the previous month, according to the Energy Department.

Sales at general merchandise stores, which include department stores, rose 1.3%, while sales at electronics and appliance stores rose 0.1%.

However, Commerce said furniture sales dropped 0.6% and sales at building material and garden supply stores fell 1.4%.