Press Release
NOTICE TO VISITOR:
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED SITE
This site contains information released online prior to January 20, 2009.
Click HERE to go the CURRENT commerce.gov website.
Information released from January 20, 2009 to present.
Please note: The content in this archive site is not updated and external links may not function.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS |
Thursday, June 12, 2008 |
202-482-4883 |
Secretary Gutierrez Welcomes May Retail Sales
WASHINGTON—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today released the following statement on May Retail and Food Sales, which showed that retail sales increased 1.0 percent in May, the largest one month increase since last November. Furthermore, after upward revisions to the March and April estimates, sales for the three-month period ending in May 2008 were up 2.6 percent from the same period a year ago.
“Today’s retail sales release is welcome news.The bipartisan economic growth package proposed by the President is starting to kick in and today we are seeing some positive signs of its impact on the U.S. economy. The Treasury Department has acted quickly to distribute stimulus checks to American consumers—approximately half of the payments have been sent out so far—with more to come in the weeks ahead. Putting cash in the hands of about 130 million American households allows consumers to spend their money as they see fit.”