Thursday the retail sales numbers are coming out with an expected 0.5% increase month over month.  This would be $316,616 million in total seasonally adjusted total sales.  The dynamic chart below shows all the data from 1992 to present if you zoom out.  On the chart you can see the drastic impact that the economic downturn has had on these numbers.

The retail sales report is a measure of the total receipts of retail stores. The changes in retail sales are widely followed as the most timely indicator of broad consumer spending patterns.  It is also important to keep an eye on the gas and food components, where changes in sales are often a result of price changes rather than shifting consumer demand.

Retail sales can be quite volatile and the advance reports are subject to rather large revisions. Retail sales do not include spending on services, which makes up over half of total consumption. Total personal consumption is not available until the personal income and consumption reports are released, typically two weeks after retail sales.

According to Yahoo Finance the importance of this data  merits an A-

The data is released monthly around the middle of the month.

The data can be found at the U.S. Census Bureau at the following link

This chart is dynamic.  You can zoom in and out to adjust your view of the data.   If you zoom all the way out the data is monthly from 1992 to the present. Also if you roll your mouse over the chart it will respond with the data for that specific point.  We will be updating this monthly with up to date numbers.