U.S. retail and food-service sales reached an estimated $745.0 billion in September, up 0.8% from August and 6.3% from a year earlier, the Census Bureau reported Oct. 15. The advance estimate is adjusted for seasonal variation and calendar effects, but not for price changes. That distinction matters: the 6.4% monthly rise at gasoline stations helped lift the total, while the Consumer Price Index reported a 9.1% jump in gasoline prices over the same month. Sales excluding gas stations rose 0.2%, according to the report. The data show dollars spent, not the volume of goods purchased or how spending changed for Latino households in particular.