WASHINGTON—The U.S. Census Bureau said sales at U.S. retailers fell in September, but Bloomberg reports the decline was less than expected. U.S. retail and food services sales for September were $344.7 billion, a decrease of 1.5 percent from the previous month and 5.7 percent below September 2008.
Bloomberg said if one excludes automobiles, sales climbed 0.5 percent, more than the median forecast of economists surveyed by the news organization. Retail sales were projected to drop 2.1 percent after a 2.7 percent gain in August, according to the median estimate of 78 economists in a Bloomberg News survey.