Not even Uncle Sam using billions to lure people back into car showrooms was enough to put Americans in a shopping mood.

Retail sales unexpectedly dipped slightly in July, stoking worries that the recession will plague shoppers through the crucial holiday season.

The Commerce Department yesterday said retail sales fell 0.1 percent from June, and fell a whopping 8.3 percent from a year earlier. The monthly drop surprised economists, who had been expecting a 0.7 percent gain.

Automobile sales were a bright spot — surging 2.4 percent from June levels as consumers took advantage of the government’s “cash for clunkers” car-buying program. But as they scooped up bargains on cars, shoppers pulled back spending on a wide range of smaller-ticket discretionary goods, including furniture, electronics, appliances, books and music.

Delivering key evidence that consumers remain skittish about the job market and plunging home values, Wal-Mart said its second-quarter profit stayed flat as its sales fell 1.4 percent to $100.08 billion.

Cost cuts helped Wal-Mart shore up its bottom line. But CEO Mike Duke put a positive spin on the results, emphasizing that the giant retailer’s comparable sales “outperformed the retail sector almost every place where we do business.”

That was a gloomy pronouncement about the state of the industry, given that Wal-Mart’s comparable sales — or sales at stores open at least a year — dropped 1.2 percent.

There are a few reasons not to panic over weak July sales. In addition to unusually cool and rainy weather, July sales were hit by tough comparisons with a year ago, when the government issued stimulus checks, as well as a later back-to-school season. Lean inventories likewise hurt sales, but protected profits.

“We’re probably at a turning point for retail spending,” says Michael Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Retail executives have been giving downbeat commentary about holiday prospects, and that’s probably the smart thing to do given lingering uncertainties, Niemira says.

But despite the weak jobs numbers yesterday, Niemira says unemployment overall “appears to have peaked and is coming down.” Indeed, a week ago the Labor Department reported a surprise drop in July unemployment to 9.4 percent from 9.5 percent the month before.

Separately yesterday, discount department store Kohl’s said second-quarter profit dipped slightly to $229 million from $236 million as comparable sales fell 2.3 percent.

Nevertheless, Kohl’s CEO Kevin Mansell said the chain’s first-half results “indicated market-share gains across most merchandise areas and regions.”

Business remained brutal for higher-priced retailers, as Nordstrom reported a 27 percent profit drop. The Seattle-based department store scrambled to cut costs and inventory as sales fell 6.2 percent to $2.12 billion. james.covert@nypost.com