watch nowThe consumer took a spending break ahead of the holiday season, with October retail sales, excluding autos and gas, falling by 0.08%, and core retail, which also removes restaurants, declining by 0.03%, according to the new CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. The new Retail Monitor, debuting Monday, is a joint product of CNBC and the National Retail Federation based on data from Affinity Solutions, a leading consumer purchase insights company. The data differs from the Census Bureau's retail sales report as it is the result of actual consumer purchases, while the Census relies on survey data. The government data is frequently revised as additional survey data becomes available. The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor is not revised as it's calculated from actual transactions during the month.

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Persons: Matthew Shay, Dan Colarusso Organizations: CNBC, NRF, Retail Monitor, National Retail Federation, Affinity Solutions, Affinity, Business