The following is the unedited transcript of the news release from the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce.


The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $375.5 billion, a decrease of 1.2 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month and 1.0 percent (±0.7%) below September 2007. Total sales for the July through September 2008 period were up 0.8 percent (±0.5%) from the same period a year ago. The July to August 2008 percent change was revised from -0.3 percent (±0.5%)* to -0.4 percent (±0.2%).

Retail trade sales were down 1.2 percent (±0.5%) from August 2008 and were 1.4 percent (±0.7%) below last year. Gasoline station sales were up 17.8 percent (±1.7%) from September 2007 and sales of food and beverage stores were up 5.1 percent (±0.8%) from last year.



Available at:

http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/marts_current.html