“Consumers continue to grind forward in July, marking 13 consecutive months of retail sales gains,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “However, consumers alone can’t be expected to shoulder the burden of the economy. Fiscal and monetary policy uncertainties combined with stagnant economic and employment conditions continue to breed a volatile market with extreme swings in consumer spending. The economy can’t seem to maintain any amount of momentum. We just can’t seem to pull ourselves up.”

July retail sales, released by the U.S. Census Bureau, showed that total retail and food services sales (which include non-general merchandise categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations, and restaurants) increased 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month and increased 5.4 percent adjusted year-over-year.

“Spending has stalled and the economy is stuck in neutral,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “Even with modest employment gains and steady consumer confidence, Americans remain in a cautiously-positive spending pattern. While clothing and sporting goods retailers saw modest gains with early back-to-school shopping, home-based retailers saw marked decreases, possibly indicating the end of the year-long housing boom. This month’s retail sales report will make any decision on tapering that much harder for policymakers in D.C.”

Other findings from the July retail sales report include: