In November, bookstore sales rose 0.5%, to $668 million, compared to November 2021, according to preliminary Census Bureau estimates. By comparison to pre-pandemic times, bookstore sales in November were 7.2% higher than in November 2019. For the year to date, sales have risen 6.8%, to $7.84 billion compared to the first 11 months of 2021.
Total retail sales in November rose 6.2%, to $695 billion, compared to November 2021. For the year to date, total retail sales have climbed 9.6%, to $7,373 billion.
Note: under Census Bureau definitions, the bookstore category consists of "establishments primarily engaged in retailing new books." The Bureau also added this unusual caution concerning the effect of Covid-19: "The Census Bureau continues to monitor response and data quality and has determined that estimates in this release meet publication standards."