Abstract:
Employment is high in North Carolina; consumer prices are low; and retail sales are up. For the fiscal year ending June 1999, retail sales were up $126.3 billion or 8 percent from 1998. Retail areas posting gains included department stores, up 13.4 percent to $2.3 billion; discount stores, up 7.4 percent to $7.1 billion; and auto sales, up 13.4 percent to $7.8 billion.