Thursday, 15 Apr 2021 11:15 PM MYT
Customers look at ‘Beauty and the Beast’ merchandise in a Disney Store in New York May 9, 2017. — Reuters pic
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WASHINGTON, April 15 — US retail sales jumped 9.8 per cent in March compared to the prior month, as Americans spent more in restaurants and on sporting goods, gardening and cars, the Commerce Department announced today.
Sales were 27.7 per cent higher than in March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns began, according to the report.
While rising energy prices have impacted inflation data for March, retail sales rose 9.7 per cent even when gasoline stations are excluded from the calculation, the report said.