By Robert Hughes
Retail sales and food services spending fell 0.3 percent in September following a 0.6 percent gain in August. Over the past year, total retail sales and food services were up 4.1 percent through September. For the third quarter, total retail sales were up at 1.5 from the second quarter and 4.0 percent from the third quarter of 2018.
Excluding the volatile auto and energy categories, core retail sales and food services were unchanged in September after a gain of 0.4 percent in August. Core retail sales had posted six straight monthly gains