Retail Sales Dip 0.1 Percent In January

WASHINGTON — The government says retail sales fell in February for the seventh time in the past eight months. While the decline was less than expected, economists are still looking for continued weakness given the battering households are taking from a prolonged recession.

The Commerce Department reported Thursday that retail sales edged down 0.1 percent last month, less severe than the 0.5 percent drop that economists had expected.

The government also revised January’s performance to show a 1.8 percent rise, the biggest increase in three years and stronger than the 1 percent gain that was originally reported.