Retail sales rose nationally in March for the eighth straight month as consumers rushed spring shopping for an early Easter and spent big tax refunds.

The sales -- which represent about a third of the nation's economic output -- climbed a smaller-than-expected 0.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted $239.6 billion, the Commerce Department said.

That modest rise came on top of big sales gains of 1.3 percent in January and 1.7 percent in February -- the biggest monthly jump in five years.

Contributing to the March rise, tax refunds are up nearly 20 percent compared to this time last year and usual holiday shopping sprees came early, since Easter fell on April 4.

Also driving the recent stretch of robust sales: Unemployment is near a 29-year low, stock prices as measured by the Dow Jones average of industrial stocks have hit record highs and interest rates are tame.