WASHINGTON — Retail sales dropped 0.2% to $404.6 billion in May after declining a revised 0.2% in April, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.
The May slide matched the expectations of economists polled by Thomson Reuters, who predicted a 0.2% median decrease. April’s mark was originally reported as a 0.1% increase.
On a year-over-year unadjusted basis, retail sales were up 5.3%.
Excluding autos, retail sales were down 0.4% in May after dropping 0.3 % in April. Economists projected retail sales excluding autos would be unchanged in May.
Excluding autos and gas, retail sales fell 0.1% in May following a 0.1% decline the previous month. Excluding autos, gas and building materials, retail sales went up 0.3% in May after remaining unchanged in April.
