Spending at U.S. retailers rose 0.5% in July, the Commerce Department said Friday.
Retail sales picked up across categories last month, especially at car dealerships and furniture stores, which saw sales climb 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively. Online sales jumped 0.8% in July, coinciding with Amazon’s Prime Day sale. Spending also picked up at gas stations and department stores.
Meanwhile, spending was down among only a handful of categories, including home improvement stores (-1%) and electronics retailers (-0.6%). Restaurants and bars also saw sales decline in July, falling 0.4%
A subset of retail sales that excludes volatile categories — known as the “control group” — rose 0.5% in July. That measure is seen as a better gauge of underlying consumer demand.