Southern Company's wholesale power sales decreased 5.4%. There was also a steep fall in retail electricity demand. Consequently, there was a downward movement in overall electricity sales and usage. In fact, total electricity sales during the third quarter were down 6.4% from the same period last year. Southern Company's total retail sales were down 6.7%, with residential and commercial sales going down by 4.1% and 8.8%, respectively. Moreover, industrial sales declined 7.3%.