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U.S. retail sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations totaled $560.8 billion in September, up 0.28% from August and 4.05% from a year earlier, the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor reported. Core sales, which also exclude restaurants, and building and garden supply sales also recorded year-over-year gains. The report cited budget-conscious consumers and higher gasoline prices, but does not establish how much either affected spending.
U.S. retail sales rose for a 12th consecutive month in September, reaching $560.8 billion excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released October 8. Sales increased 0.28% from August and 4.05% from September 2025 on a seasonally adjusted basis, extending a run of growth as shoppers faced pressure from higher gasoline prices.
The September month-over-month increase was slightly larger than August’s 0.22%; the year-over-year gain also accelerated from 3.87% in August. The figures measure retail sales without auto dealers and gasoline stations, and are seasonally adjusted, according to the monitor. They describe changes in sales, not the number of purchases or the inflation-adjusted volume of goods sold.
A narrower measure, called core retail sales by the monitor, excludes restaurants as well as auto dealers and gasoline stations. It totaled $453.1 billion in September, up 0.27% from August and 3.73% from a year earlier. In August, that measure rose 0.17% month over month and 3.47% year over year.
Sales in the building and garden supply sector reached $44.0 billion, up 0.07% from August and 2.66% from September 2025. The report identifies the sector’s sales but does not provide further detail on which products or types of retailers drove the change.
What the Sales Gains Show
The figures offer a measure of consumer spending across retailers and indicate that sales continued to grow in September. The consecutive monthly gains matter to retailers planning inventory, promotions and staffing, while the year-over-year rates give businesses a comparison with the same month in 2025.
The report’s category exclusions matter when interpreting the numbers: the headline total leaves out auto dealers and gasoline stations, while the core measure also removes restaurants. These are not totals for every type of consumer spending. Nor do nominal sales gains alone show whether households bought more goods, paid higher prices, or did both.
The National Retail Federation’s president and CEO, Matthew Shay, said consumers were concentrating on everyday essentials while gasoline costs absorbed a larger share of household budgets. That is the NRF’s characterization of consumer behavior, not a measurement in the sales figures themselves. The report does not quantify the effect of fuel costs or show whether spending was evenly distributed among households.
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Comparing September With August
The Retail Monitor is a sales measure released by the National Retail Federation with CNBC. The report’s comparison of September with August shows a modest pickup in both the headline and core month-over-month growth rates. The year-over-year figures also rose faster than their respective August readings.
The release described September growth as following a solid back-to-school shopping season, quoting Shay on that point. It also said retailers were using promotions and value pricing to keep everyday products affordable. Those comments provide the federation’s interpretation of the period; the data supplied in the report do not separately measure back-to-school purchases, discounting, or the impact of pricing strategies.
For hardware and home-improvement businesses, the building and garden supply category provides a relevant sector reading: its sales were up from both August and a year earlier. The release does not establish whether that increase reflects higher prices, more units sold, seasonal patterns, or a change in the mix of purchases.
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What the Sales Data Cannot Show
The release does not say how much of the reported dollar growth came from higher prices versus changes in the quantity or mix of goods sold. It also does not quantify the influence of gasoline prices, household budgets, promotions or back-to-school shopping on September’s results. Those explanations are presented as NRF commentary, not as separate findings demonstrated by the sales totals.
The supplied report provides no detailed breakdown across all retail categories, household income groups or geographic areas. It also does not specify in the supplied material whether the September figures may be revised. The data therefore show continued aggregate growth, but not which consumers or businesses accounted for it, or whether the pace will persist.
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Upcoming Sales Reports to Watch
Readers can compare the next monthly Retail Monitor release with September’s figures to see whether the run of growth continues and whether month-over-month and year-over-year rates change. Future releases may also help show whether core sales and building and garden supply sales keep moving at a similar pace.
The October 8 report does not provide a forecast or a date for the next release. Until additional data arrive, the confirmed picture is limited to September’s gains and the comparisons with August and September 2025.
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Key Questions
How much did retail sales rise in September?
Sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations totaled $560.8 billion, up 0.28% from August and 4.05% from September 2025, seasonally adjusted, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor.
What does the report mean by core retail sales?
The monitor’s core measure excludes restaurants, auto dealers and gasoline stations. It totaled $453.1 billion in September, rising 0.27% month over month and 3.73% year over year.
Did building and garden supply sales increase?
Yes. The sector recorded $44.0 billion in sales, up 0.07% from August and 2.66% from a year earlier. The report does not explain how much of the change came from prices or sales volume.
Does the report show that consumers bought more goods?
Not on its own. It reports dollar sales and does not separate the effect of price changes from changes in the volume or mix of items purchased.
What is known about the next month’s results?
The report gives no forecast for October or date for the next release. A later monthly report will show whether the sales growth continued.
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