Retail bookstore sales had their best performance in more than a year when they posted a 6.8% increase this past March, compared to March 1998. According to Census Bureau estimates, bookstore sales hit $929 million in March, up from $870 million in the same month last year. Despite the strong performance, bookstore sales still lagged behind total retail sales, which jumped 11% in March. For the first three months of 1999, bookstore sales were up 3.4%, to $3.33 billion.