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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, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. It was the 12th consecutive month of growth; building and garden supply sales rose 2.66% year over year.
U.S. retail sales rose for the 12th consecutive month in September, with sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations reaching $560.8 billion, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released October 8 by the National Retail Federation. The seasonally adjusted total was up 0.28% from August and 4.05% from September 2025, while higher gasoline prices continued to put pressure on household budgets, the NRF said.
The monthly increase was slightly faster than August’s 0.22% month-over-month gain, and the annual increase was higher than August’s 3.87% year-over-year rise, the Retail Monitor figures show. Those comparisons indicate that sales growth strengthened on both measures in September, although the report does not provide inflation-adjusted figures or show how much of the dollar increase reflected changes in prices.
Core retail sales, which also exclude restaurants, totaled $453.1 billion. They increased 0.27% from August and 3.73% from a year earlier. In August, the corresponding increases were 0.17% month over month and 3.47% year over year, according to the report.
For building and garden supply retailers, September sales were $44.0 billion, up 0.07% from August and 2.66% year over year. The report gives the sector figures but does not break out which products or customer groups accounted for the increase.
What the Growth Says About Shoppers
The figures show that consumer spending continued to expand after a solid back-to-school season, even as fuel costs competed with other household expenses. NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said shoppers remained budget conscious and focused on everyday essentials. That description is the NRF’s assessment; the sales totals themselves show the overall direction and size of spending, not how individual households changed their purchasing.
For retailers, the report points to continued demand but also to pressure to compete on price. Shay said businesses were using promotions and value pricing to keep everyday goods within reach. The building and garden supply figures may be relevant to hardware and home-improvement businesses, but the modest monthly increase does not establish whether demand is accelerating or how sales will perform in later months.
The data matter to readers because retail spending is a timely indicator of consumer activity. However, the reported growth is in sales dollars and should not be treated as a direct measure of how many goods consumers bought or how their purchasing power changed. The source material does not provide an inflation-adjusted comparison.
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How September Compares With August
The 12-month streak means the monitor recorded an increase in retail sales in each of the preceding 12 months, according to the report. September’s growth followed a solid back-to-school shopping season, which Shay cited as part of the spending picture. The source does not provide a month-by-month breakdown of the streak or identify the contribution from individual retail categories beyond building and garden supplies.
The monitor reports two different sales totals because it uses different exclusions. The $560.8 billion total leaves out auto dealers and gasoline stations; the $453.1 billion core measure also removes restaurants. Both sets of monthly and annual changes are seasonally adjusted in the source report. Keeping those definitions in view is necessary when comparing the figures with other retail measures that may include different businesses or use different methods.
Hardware Retailing published the report on October 8, citing the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. It also noted a separate National Association of Home Builders remodeling sentiment report, but the supplied material gives no results from that report, so it does not provide additional evidence about September retail sales.
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What the Sales Figures Leave Open
The report does not say how much of the year-over-year rise came from higher prices rather than increased quantities of goods sold. It also does not include an inflation-adjusted measure, household-level spending data, or a detailed breakdown of the causes of September’s growth. The NRF’s comments about fuel costs and shopper priorities are attributed statements, not category-level findings in the figures supplied.
It remains unclear whether the building and garden supply sector’s 2.66% annual increase reflects broad gains across products or growth in a narrower set of items. The source provides no forecast, revised prior-month figures, or information about whether the 12-month run will continue.
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Next Retail Monitor Readings
The next monthly Retail Monitor release will show whether sales growth continued after September and whether the pace changed. Readers can compare its total and core measures with September’s respective 0.28% and 0.27% monthly gains, while checking that the same exclusions and seasonal-adjustment basis are used.
Further detail on prices, sales volumes and individual retail categories would help clarify what drove the latest increases. Until those data are available, the confirmed finding is that the monitor recorded another month of growth—not that all sectors or households experienced the same trend.
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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 12th month of growth mean?
The report says retail sales rose for 12 consecutive months through September. It does not provide a detailed month-by-month account of the full run.
How did core retail sales perform?
Core sales, which exclude auto dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants, were $453.1 billion, up 0.27% month over month and 3.73% year over year.
What happened to building and garden supply sales?
Sales in the sector reached $44.0 billion in September, rising 0.07% from August and 2.66% from a year earlier.
Do the figures show that consumers bought more goods?
Not by themselves. The report gives sales in dollar terms and does not include an inflation-adjusted measure, so it does not separate changes in prices from changes in the quantity of goods sold.
Source: rss
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