Consumers Open Their Wallets Again as Retail Sales Rise 0.6 Percent

Higher gasoline prices could impact consumer spending in the broader U.S. marketplace.

A woman fills her car with gasoline in Los Angeles on July 1, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Shoppers opened their wallets again in February after consumers stayed home during January’s severe winter storm.

Retail sales rose by 0.6 percent, from an upwardly revised 0.1 percent decline in the previous month, according to new Census Bureau data released on April 1.