Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty
Shoppers buy gifts at the Toys'R'Us store during early Black Friday events on November 24, 2016 in Paramus, New Jersey.
Economists forecast that sales rose 0.3% month-on-month, according to Bloomberg. Excluding autos and gas, which tend to be volatile, they forecast that core retail sales increased by 0.4%.
Sales in October - which could be revised in today's report - rose at the fastest pace in two years.
The month-on-month increase was led by higher spending on gas and at online retailers like Amazon. Furniture stores, brick-and-mortar department stores, restaurants, and bars were the only places where declines from September were recorded.
This upcoming report will capture Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping, and so will provide the first snapshot into consumer spending during the crucial holiday season. Spending makes up two-thirds of all economic activity.