Village News - Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

JOSH BOAK and ANNE D'INNOCENZIO

AP Business Writers

BALTIMORE (AP) — American shoppers ramped up their spending on store purchases by a record 17.7% from April to May, delivering a dose of energy for retailers that have been reeling since the coronavirus shut down businesses, flattened the economy and paralyzed consumers during the previous two months.

The government's report Tuesday showed that consumers' retail purchases have retraced some of the record-setting month-to-month plunges of March (8.3%) and April (14.7%) as businesses have increasingly reopened. Still, the pandemic's damage...