In March, for the first time in a year, bookstore sales rose compared to the same period the year earlier: in March 2021, bookstore sales climbed 34.7%, to $547 million, compared to March 2020, according to preliminary Census Bureau estimates. March 2020, of course, when bookstore sales fell 33.4%, was the first month that reflected severe measures taken in the U.S. to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which included widespread lockdowns.
For the first three months of the year, bookstore sales are down 8.2%, at $1.826 billion.
Total retail sales in March rose 31.7%, to $629.9 billion. So far this year, total retail sales have risen 14%, to $1.6 trillion.
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."