上个月，美国零售额跌至历史最低点，突显出零售商在冠状病毒危机中极力挣扎的景况。

人口普查局的一份预报数据显示，4月份美国零售额骤降16.4%，为始创于1992年的这一数据系列的最大一次。同时，这也明显高于3月份修正后8.3%的销售降幅。

由于全国大部分地区的人们继续呆在家里，他们在食物上的花费比以前多，但在其他事情上却很少。随着大规模裁员导致数百万美国人失业，可自由支配的支出受到了挤压。

剔除汽车的零售额的整体下降幅度甚至更大，为17.2%。许多美国人把像汽车这样的大商品放在次要位置。

服装及配饰店的销售尤其疲软，4月份销售额下降了89.3%。

在危机期间，零售商被迫关闭了数十万家商店。最近几周，包括尼曼·马库斯和杰·克鲁在内的一些人已经申请破产。杰西潘尼预计将在未来几天申请破产。

然而，一些连锁店逆势而上。沃尔玛、塔吉特、克罗格等公司的销售额都在增长，因为美国人在适时隔离期间购买的更多的是杂货和生活必需品而使他们从中获益。基于必需品的网上购物继续推动亚马逊的发展。

从长期来看，分析师预计，这场危机将进一步拉大行业赢家和输家之间的差距。

Clothing store sales down almost 90% inApril

America's retail sales collapsed to ahistoric low last month, underscoring just how badly retailers are strugglingduring the coronavirus crisis.

An advance reading from the Census Bureaushowed US retail sales plummeted by 16.4% in April, the largest since this dataseries began in 1992. It's also significantly higher than the revised 8.3%sales drop in March.

As people continue to stay at home acrossmuch of the country, they're spending more on food than before but little onother things. And with mass layoffs leaving millions of Americans out of work,discretionary spending has been crunched.

Excluding autos, the overall drop in retailsales was even steeper at 17.2%. Many Americans are putting big purchases likecars on the back burner.

Particularly weak were sales at clothingand accessories stores, which were down a whopping 89.3% in April.

Retailers have been forced to shutterhundreds of thousands of stores during the crisis. Several have filed forbankruptcy in recent weeks, including Neiman Marcus and J.Crew. JCPenney isexpected to file for bankruptcy in the coming days.

Some chains, however, have bucked thetrend. Walmart, Target, Kroger and others are growing sales, as theybenefit from Americans buying more groceries and home essentials as they aresheltering in place. Online shopping for essentials continues to boost Amazon.

In the long-term, analysts expect thecrisis to further widen the gap between the industry's winners andlosers.