, Columnist
Where All That Retail Spending Went
Americans are buying less and less stuff in stores. They're buying lots more health care, though. Hmm.
The way it used to be.
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Retail is in trouble. Sales declined for the second month in a row in the U.S. in March, and there's talk that perhaps traditional retail has passed a tipping point, with lots of store closings, layoffs and bankruptcies to come.
One obvious reason for retailers' difficulties is the rise of Amazon.com Inc. and other establishments that the Census Bureau classifies as "nonstore retailers."