NRF

Without stimulus checks from government this year, consumers had less money to spend last month, and the result was lower retail sales. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), retail industry sales for May (excluding automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) grew 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted from April but dropped 4.7 percent unadjusted over last year.

Retailers and consumers are increasingly being victimized by organized retail crime groups, with nine out of 10 retailers reporting their companies were victims of organized retail crime (ORC) during the past year, up 8 percent from 2008, according to the National Retail Federation's fifth annual Organized Retail Crime survey.