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Did retail sales grow because we bought more stuff, or did the stuff get more expensive?

Oct 17, 2023
The way the Census Bureau calculates its retail sales data wasn't an issue until prices started rising a couple years back.
Grocery store spending rose 0.4% in September, according to the Census Bureau.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Why gas prices loom so large in the way we think about the economy

Apr 14, 2022
They helped push up retail sales in March, but they're already coming back down.
The biggest increases in spending last month were on food and beverages, and, of course, at gas stations, according to Commerce Department Data.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images