Retail Sales Fall 0.1% in July

Retail sales fell 0.1% in July, the first decline in three months, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The decrease followed a revised 0.8% increase in June that was larger than originally reported.

Economists had projected that sales would rise 0.8%, Bloomberg reported.

Purchases excluding automobiles fell 0.6% during the month, the largest drop since March. Filling station sales fell 2.1%. Excluding gasoline, retail sales increased 0.1%

Sales fell at electronics, grocery, sporting goods stores, furniture and department stores. Department stores saw the biggest drop this year at 1.6%.

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