2011 Sees Biggest Retail Gains in Decade

Retail sales hit a record in 2011, new government statistics show.

Image: Ilyashenko Oleksiy / Shutterstock

It was a record year and a strange year all at once.

Even though retail sales rose a mere 0.1 percent in December—disappointing since that is prime holiday shopping time— the increases pushed sales to record levels for the year, according to new data released Friday by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Furthermore, the sales record of $4.7 trillion represented a gain of nearly 8 percent over 2010, which represents the largest percentage increase U.S. retail has seen since 1999.

December sales reached a seasonally adjusted $400.6 billion, marking the second straight month that retail sales were over $400 billion. In November, sales rose 0.4 percent to $400.6 billion.

These sales include not just major national chains and other retailers, but also auto dealerships, restaurants and bars, grocery stores, and gasoline stations.

Steady sales gains have fueled a 20 percent surge in retail figures from their lows during the recession, with monthly sales up 6 percent above their pre-recession highs, notes USA Today. Automobile sales fared especially well, rising 10 percent to $12.8 million in 2011, a 23 percent jump from what they were in the thick of the recession in 2009, the newspaper also notes.

The figures confirm evidence that the economy was strengthening as 2011 ended. One thing that’s plagued retailers, especially over the holidays, and perhaps in December most of all, was discounts.