by Calculated Risk on 10/16/2019 08:41:00 AM

On a monthly basis, retail sales decreased 0.3 percent from August to September (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 4.1 percent from September 2018.

From the Census Bureau report:

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September 2019, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $525.6 billion, a decrease of 0.3 percent from the previous month, but 4.1 percent above September 2018.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows retail sales since 1992. This is monthly retail sales and food service, seasonally adjusted (total and ex-gasoline).

Retail sales ex-gasoline were down 0.2% in September.

The second graph shows the year-over-year change in retail sales and food service (ex-gasoline) since 1993.

Retail and Food service sales, ex-gasoline, increased by 4.7% on a YoY basis.

The increase in September was below expectations, however sales in August were revised up.