WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — American consumers didn’t go shopping much in October, but they made up for it in November.

Retail sales rose 0.3% last month after declining 0.3% in October, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast 0.4% increase.

Sales were more than twice as strong if a big decline in spending at gas stations is factored out. Gas-station sales posted the biggest drop in four years.

Shoppers fill Macy's during the Black Friday sales on November 23, 2012 in New York City. Getty Images

Instead of paying more at the pump, consumers bought a variety of goods such as autos, electronics, appliances, building materials, clothing, meals and liquor, home furnishings and personal-care products.

Some of the spending that might have taken place in October was pushed into November because of Hurricane Sandy, economists say.

Still, the trend in retail sales can hardly be called strong. Retail spending has climbed 3.7% in the past 12 months, a pace consistent with a U.S. economy expanding at about 2% a year.

Consumer spending accounts for as much as 70% of the U.S. economy. Retail sales represent about one-third of consumer spending.

“All in all, consumers are holding up reasonably well despite soft labor market conditions that are holding down growth in earnings and, in turn, personal income,” said Richard Moody, chief economist at Regions Financial Corp.

In separate reports Thursday, the government said weekly jobless claims fell to the second lowest level of the year and U.S. wholesale prices sank in November because of falling gasoline prices. Read about drop in weekly claims; read about decline in wholesale costs.

U.S. financial markets reacted little to the economic reports. Investors were more focused on talks in Washington to resolve a budget standoff that could lead to a crisis in 2013 if it’s not resolved soon. Read Market Snapshot.

Gassed out

Sales at gasoline stations fell by 4.0% last month to mark the biggest decline since December 2008.

Lower gas prices are a good thing for the economy and for consumers, allowing them to spend more money on other goods and services they desire.

Excluding gasoline, U.S. retail sales climbed 0.8% last month.

Sales at home-improvement stores rose 1.6% in November, partly because of spending to replace damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Companies like Home Depot HD, +1.90% were among a group that said the storm boosted sales, while other retailers said the storm had a negative effect. The government said it could not determine how much the hurricane affected overall sales in October and November.

Auto sales, meanwhile, jumped 1.4%. In late October, Hurricane Sandy put a dent in auto sales in the highly populated East Coast, but many buyers returned to the showroom in November.

Sales increased 2.5% for electronics and appliance retailers, 1% at home-furnishing stores, 0.9% at apparel outlets and 0.8% for bars and restaurants.

Internet retailers and mail-order companies also had their best month in more than a year, probably at the expense of traditional stores. Sales jumped 3.0% last month.

Aside from gas stations, the only categories to record lower sales were general stores and department chains. Sales fell almost 1% in each category.

Excluding the auto sector, retail sales were flat. The MarketWatch survey expected a 0.2% decline in retail sales minus autos, a large category that can have an outsize impact on the overall report.