Both online and brick retailers were among the few bright spots in taxable sales during the month of April, according to the Nevada Department of Taxation.
Nonstore retailers, including Amazon, reported $6.45 million in sales, up nearly 1.5 times over April 2019.
Retailers, which include both Douglas County WalMarts and the Target, posted a 16 percent increase in taxable sales, with $9.7 million.
The county’s merchants reported $55.3 million in taxable sales during April, down 22.8 percent from the same month in 2019.
Another bright spot was in the building industry, with building material and garden equipment with $6 million in taxable sales. Specialty trade contractors raised $1.5 million during April.
Merchant wholesalers of durable goods sold $4.2 million in taxable items, up 12.5 percent over April 2019.
Two of the county’s largest sectors, food service and drinking places, and accommodations both took significant hits due to the coronavirus lockdowns.
Accommodations, which include the Stateline hotels, registered a goose egg during the month due to their shutdown.
Eateries did a little better, bringing in $5.35 million in taxable sales, down 42 percent from the $9.2 million they raised in April 2019.
Neighboring Carson City experienced a 5.4 percent decrease in taxable sales, with the capital’s merchants raking in $98.7 million.
Douglas raised $765,241 of the $1.26 million sales tax revenue the state determined the county requires based on its population. The rest is guaranteed by the state.
