U.S. Retail Sales in December Fall Flat

The Grinch stole the retail sector’s thunder.

Retail sales in December during the peak Christmas shopping season were flat, falling 0.1 percent month-over-month on the heels of a 0.6 percent increase in November, the Commerce Department‘s U.S. Census Bureau reported early Tuesday. Consumer spending, which excludes automobiles, dipped 2.4 percent compared to December 2024, a drop from November’s 3.3 percent annual gain.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had projected retail sales to increase 0.4 percent on a monthly basis, CNBC reported.

The mediocre December consumer numbers were a stark contrast to other metrics that noted promising signs for the retail sector.

U.S. malls saw a 14.2 percent monthly jump beginning Thanksgiving week, Commercial Observer previously reported, citing data from MRI Software. A foot traffic analysis from Placer.ai also noted a 3.1 percent increase in Black Friday mall traffic from the same day in 2024.

Andrew Coen can be reached at acoen@commercialobserver.com.