Some firms are also selected for inventories by stratifying most firms in the larger sales sample by kind of business and sales sizes. Approximately 800 of the 4,000 are selected with certainty. There is about a 9 month delay before new firms can be represented in the sample. Products Monthly Retail Trade, Sales and Inventories reports are released 6 weeks after the close of the reference month. They contain preliminary figures for the current month and final figures for the prior 12 months.
Data are both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted.
Combined Annual and Revised Monthly Retail Trade reports are released annually each spring. Uses These data are widely used throughout government, academic, and business communities. The Bureau of Economic Analysis uses the estimates to calculate Gross Domestic Product. The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the estimates to develop consumer price indexes and productivity measurements. The Council of Economic Advisers uses the estimates to analyze current economic activity.