Retail sales up 0.5% in April from March as higher gas prices leave less room for nonessential items

Shoppers stop their carts to observe big-screen televisions on display in a Costco warehouse Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Timnath, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers pulled back on spending in April as higher gas prices fueled by the Iran war meant less money left over for nonessential goods.

Retail sales rose 0.5% in April, a slowdown from the revised 1.6% in March, according to Commerce Department data released Thursday. March marked the largest one-month increase in retail spending in more than three years, largely because gas prices spiked higher rapidly.

Excluding gas prices, retail sales were up 0.3% in April.

Elsewhere in some areas, shoppers had tepid spending.