WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. retail sales perked up in November with the start of the holiday shopping season, led by online buying and purchases of autos, clothing and electronics.<br />
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Retail sales rose a seasonally-adjusted 0.7 percent last month, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Falling gasoline prices caused purchases at gas stations to decline 0.8 percent, but that potentially freed up income to be spent elsewhere.<br />
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Excluding gas stations, sales climbed a healthy 0.9 percent. Spending on motor vehicles accelerated 1.7 percent, while purchases at clothiers, online retailers, electronics stores and department stores all improved. Non-store retailers, which include online and mail-order outlets, rose 1 percent.<br />
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The sales figures indicate that consumers have pumped up their holiday shopping, despite initial signs within the retail industry that Black Friday shopping plunged compared to the previous year.<br />
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Sales are up 5.1 percent over the past 12 months.<br />
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"In the months ahead, we expect consumers keep spending the extra income gained from the strong job market and the collapse in energy prices," said Laura Rosner, an analyst at the bank BNP Paribas.<br />
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Average national gas prices have slid to $2.64 a gallon, down nearly 30 cent, or 9.8 percent, over the past month, according to the AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge.<br />
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Many analysts believe that holiday spending could rise by at least 4 percent this year because of recent job growth. The hiring spree since February has bolstered the number of people with steady paychecks by nearly 2.65 million, and consumer confidence has also improved.
