WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Sales at U.S. retailers fell in February for the third month in a row, a poor performance that can be partly blamed on bad weather but that also raises questions about whether the economy can grow much faster.

Retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.6% last month in the wake of even larger declines in January and December, the government reported Thursday. The last time sales have fallen three straight months was in mid-2012.

The disappointing report surprised Wall Street, but the price of stocks and bonds both rose. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a 0.3% gain in retail sales, which account for about one-third of overall consumer spending. Consumption in turn is responsible for as much as 70% of the nation’s economic activity.

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Although Americans increased spending in the fourth quarter at the fastest rate in four years, the nearly six-year-old economy recovery has been marked up sharp swings in consumer behavior. The economy is unlikely to grow much faster if Americans remain generally tight-fisted — retail sales have been growing more slowly over the past few years than they normally do.

Unlike in January and December, the decline in sales last month cannot be blamed on lower spending at gasoline stations that resulted from the big plunge in oil prices in the second half of 2014. Sales at gasoline stations jumped 1.5% last month — the first increase since May — as fuel prices rose in February for the first time since last summer.

Many economists have been expecting Americans to use their gas savings to purchase other goods and services. But so far other retailers clearly haven’t benefited much, if at all.

What almost certainly contributed to weaker sales in February was poor weather. A series of snow storms wracked the eastern half of the country, making it harder for Americans to get around. Sales even sank 0.6% at restaurants and bars, marking the biggest decline in more than a year.

But bad weather alone can’t explain why Americans aren’t spending more: the February decline was widespread. Sales fell 2.5% at car dealers, 2.3% at home-improvement stores, 1.4% at department outlets and 1.2% at electronics stores, among others.

“It is difficult to blame February’s spending malaise on weather alone, although it could have played a muted role in the Northeast and Midwest in particular,” said Lindsey Piegza, chief economist of Sterne Agee. She noted that other economic reports for February did not show such a marked effect.

Only a few industry segments performed well. Internet retailers such as Amazon boosted sales by 2.2% and purchases at stores that sell sporting goods and other hobby items climbed by 2.3%.

Most economists also continue to believe sales will pick up with the arrival of warmer weather in the spring, as was the case in 2014. They point to the fastest job creation since the late 1990s, including a sharp rise in hiring in the retail sector itself.

Neil Dutta, head of economics at Renaissance Macro Research, said stronger job creation in the retail space suggests sales should pick soon. Companies would not be hiring and asking employees to work longer hours if fewer customers were trooping to their stores or clicking less on retail websites.

Unadjusted retail sales have risen a scant 1.7% over the past 12 month, and outlays have climbed a modest 4.7% minus gasoline. Sales usually rise at a 5% to 6% pace when the economy is firing on all cylinders.