Retail sales sag as superstorm Sandy slows auto purchases WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Retail sales fell in October for the first time in three months as superstorm Sandy slammed the brakes on automobile purchases, suggesting a loss of momentum in spending early in the fourth quarter. Sales dipped 0.3 percent, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday, after an upwardly revised 1.3 percent increase in September that was previously reported as a 1.1 percent rise. Economists polled by Reuters had expected retail sales to fall 0.2 percent. The decline partly reflected the impact from superstorm Sandy, which lashed the densely populated East Coast -- holding down auto sales. Auto manufacturers have blamed the storm for the drop in sales. They expect auto sales to rebound in November. Automakers and dealers last week estimated that as many as a quarter million vehicles would end up in the scrap yard because of the storm. Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci