Commerce Department Reports Retail Sales Drop Sharply In September

PASADENA, CA - OCTOBER 15: A shopper leaves a store that is having closing sale during its final five days in business in a shopping mall on October 15, 2008 in Pasadena, California. U.S. retail sales in September plummeted by the largest amount in three years, with the Commerce Department reporting that retail sales dropped 1.2 percent, almost twice the 0.7 percent drop that had been expected. It is the biggest decline since August 2005 when retail sales fell 1.4 percent. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)