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U.S. retail sales increased for a 12th consecutive month in September, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. Total sales excluding auto dealers and gas stations rose 0.28% from August and 4.05% from a year earlier; building and garden supply sales were up 2.66% year over year.
U.S. retail sales rose for a 12th consecutive month in September, with total 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. Sales in building and garden supply stores totaled $44.0 billion, up 2.66% from September 2025.
The Retail Monitor reported that total retail sales, excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations, increased 0.28% month over month and 4.05% year over year in September, with both comparisons seasonally adjusted. In August, the same measure rose 0.22% from the prior month and 3.87% from a year earlier. The September figures show faster growth than those August rates on both comparisons.
Under the report’s narrower core measure, which also excludes restaurants, sales were $453.1 billion. Core sales rose 0.27% from August and 3.73% from September 2025. The corresponding August increases were 0.17% month over month and 3.47% year over year.
Sales at building and garden supply retailers were $44.0 billion, up 0.07% from August and 2.66% year over year. The supplied report does not give a seasonally adjusted designation for those sector figures, so they should not be treated as directly comparable to the adjusted total-sales measures without additional methodological detail.
Growth Across Retail and Home Supply
The figures offer a current snapshot of consumer spending entering the fall retail season. The continued monthly increase, alongside year-over-year gains in both the broad and core measures, indicates that spending remained higher than a year earlier in September. The growth rates also picked up from August, though the month-to-month gains were modest.
For hardware and home-supply businesses, the sector reading provides a specific indicator: building and garden supply sales were higher than a year earlier, but rose just 0.07% from August. That distinction matters for retailers planning inventory, promotions and staffing; the data show annual growth, not a strong monthly jump. The report’s account of pressure from gasoline costs also points to a possible constraint on household spending, but it does not quantify that effect.
The figures do not establish whether consumers are buying more items, paying higher prices, or shifting spending among categories. They record sales values, and the source material does not provide inflation-adjusted results. Readers should treat the report as a measure of nominal sales growth rather than a direct measure of increased purchasing volume.
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How September Compares With August
The September release follows a solid back-to-school shopping period, which NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay cited as part of the spending backdrop. The reported series tracks monthly and annual changes, allowing the September results to be compared with August. On the total measure, the monthly increase moved from 0.22% in August to 0.28% in September; the year-over-year rate moved from 3.87% to 4.05%.
The report uses distinct definitions for total and core retail sales. Total sales exclude auto dealers and gasoline stations, while core sales exclude those businesses and restaurants as well. Those exclusions mean the figures do not represent every category of consumer spending, and the two dollar totals should not be compared as if they covered identical parts of retail.
NRF attributed the results to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. The source article, published by Hardware Retailing on October 8, reports the Monitor’s figures and Shay’s comments. It does not include detailed category results beyond building and garden supply or provide a separate breakdown of spending by household income.
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Limits of the September Sales Data
The release does not identify how much of the year-over-year sales increase reflects changes in prices versus the number or mix of goods sold. It also does not provide inflation-adjusted sales, detailed results for most retail categories, or a quantified estimate of the effect of higher gasoline prices on consumer budgets.
Although the source reports building and garden supply sales and their percentage changes, it does not state whether those sector figures are seasonally adjusted. The national total and core figures are explicitly described as seasonally adjusted. Further methodological details would be needed to compare the sector’s monthly movement directly with those measures.
The September results are a monthly reading, not a forecast for the rest of the year. The report does not establish whether the growth streak will continue or whether household spending patterns will change as costs and seasonal shopping needs shift.
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Upcoming Retail Sales Readings
The next monthly Retail Monitor release will show whether sales continued to rise after September and whether the broad and core measures maintain their year-over-year pace. Further category-level figures would help clarify whether building and garden supply sales follow the overall trend or move differently.
Readers should look for the next release’s publication date and methodology details, particularly whether sector comparisons are seasonally adjusted and how the Monitor’s sales values relate to inflation. Until then, September’s confirmed result is a 12th consecutive month of growth, with the available data leaving the causes and composition of that growth unresolved.
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Key Questions
How much did retail sales rise in September?
Total retail sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations reached $560.8 billion, up 0.28% from August and 4.05% from September 2025. Both comparisons were seasonally adjusted.
What does the report mean by core retail sales?
The Retail Monitor’s core measure excludes auto dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. It totaled $453.1 billion in September, up 0.27% month over month and 3.73% year over year.
How did building and garden supply sales perform?
Sales in the building and garden supply sector were $44.0 billion in September, up 0.07% from August and 2.66% from a year earlier. The source does not specify whether these sector figures are seasonally adjusted.
Does the sales increase mean consumers bought more goods?
Not necessarily. The reported figures measure sales values, and the release does not separate price changes from changes in the quantity or mix of goods purchased. It does not provide inflation-adjusted results.
What remains unknown about the September results?
The release does not quantify how much gasoline prices affected household spending, explain the sources of the sales increase, or show whether the growth will continue. More monthly results and category-level detail may clarify those points.
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