Clothing Stores See 18% Sales Boost Thanks to $1,400 Stimulus Check

Clothing Stores See 18% Sales Boost Thanks to $1,400 Stimulus Check

After the third round of stimulus payments was sent out in March, many Americans are using their $1,400 check to buy new clothes in time for spring.A new report from the Commerce Department found that Americans spent their cash on cars, eating out and home renovations.However, sporting goods stores saw the biggest increase in sales, up 23.5 percent in March from February. It was followed by clothing stores, where sales soared 18.3 percent.Retail sales are up a seasonally adjusted 9.8 percent in March after dropping about 3 percent the month before, according to the Commerce Department.This increase was the biggest since May of last year, when stores reopened after closing at the start of the pandemic. It was also much larger than the 5.5 percent increase Wall Street analysts had expected.Shoppers wearing protective masks are seen with their purchases in Midtown on April 10, 2021 in New York City. After undergoing various shutdown orders for the past 12 months the city is currently in phase 4 of its reopening plan, allowing for the reopening of low-risk outdoor activities, movie and television productions, indoor dining as well as the opening of movie theaters, all with capacity restrictions. March saw an increase