January Retail Sales Climb 0.3 Percent

Bad weather didn’t deter shoppers in January. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported seasonally adjusted retail and food service sales together were up 0.3 percent for January with total sales of $381.6 billion.

That is up 7.8 percent from the same month in 2009.

The threat of record-deep snow and sub-zero temperatures might’ve spurred shoppers to stockpile staple goods. Many Northwest Arkansas grocery stores like Harps and Wal-Mart’s Neighborhood Markets reported runs on milk, eggs, bread and bananas during late January and early February.

It was the seventh straight month the Commerce Department has reported growth, but it’s also the smallest increase during that time, according to The Associated Press.

Retail sales alone were up 0.5 percent from December 2010 and more than 8.3 percent from a year ago.

Earlier in February, Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale reported its first-quarter net income was up 86 percent from the year prior, with total net income of $298 million. Tyson supplies many of the food service companies responding to the Commerce Department’s survey.