U.S. retail receipts slipped for the second consecutive week, the International
Council of Shopping Centers reported Tuesday.
The ICSC-Goldman Sachs weekly sales report said sales receipts were off 2
percent in the week ending Saturday, after dropping 1 percent in the previous
week.
Sales were up 1.2 percent from the same week of 2012.
The weekly ICSC-GS tracking survey found that consumer traffic was up in the
week at groceries, electronic stores and wholesale clubs, "while most other
segments were weaker."
Weather Trends International Inc. said the critical shopping region of the
Northeast was "warm, but wet."
"For the United States as a whole, the first week of the retail May was colder
than last year and the wettest in four years, a negative for warm-weather
categories, such as cold beverages, ice cream and sun care." the report said.
For the second consecutive week, the national average price of gasoline rose,
adding 6.5 cents per gallon in the week to $3.603 per gallon.
