BALTIMORE (AP) � US retail sales jumped 17.7% in May, partially recovering after a plunge in March and April when economy froze up.
The record jump came after the coronavirus shut down businesses, flattened the economy and paralyzed consumers during the previous two months.
The Commerce Department's report Tuesday showed that retail sales have retraced some of the record-setting month-to-month plunges of March (8.3 percent) and April (14.7 percent) as businesses have increasingly reopened.
Still, the pandemic's damage to retail sales remains severe, with purchases still down 6.1% from a year ago.
