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A staggering percentage of Americans are too poor to shop
NY Post ^ | 7-6-16 | Lisa Fickenscher

Posted on 07/08/2016 8:29:44 PM PDT by dynachrome

Retailers have blamed the weather, slow job growth and millennials for their poor results this past year, but a new study claims that more than 20 percent of Americans are simply too poor to shop.

These 26 million Americans are juggling two to three jobs, earning just around $27,000 a year and supporting two to four children — and exist largely under the radar, according to America’s Research Group, which has been tracking consumer shopping trends since 1979.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bhoeconomy; collapse; debt; default; ebt; economy; obamalegacy; poor; poverty; repudiation
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To: dsc

Tell that to Obama’s “media” who keep spinning that the economy is booming and that jobs are everywhere. What’s his regime’s new unemployment figures? 4.9%? Isn’t that “normal”?


121 posted on 07/09/2016 10:01:24 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Let's Make Our Founding Documents Great Again!)
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To: The Cuban

You keep coming back for more, poor slob. With each post you appear to be more frantic and unstable.


122 posted on 07/09/2016 10:04:11 AM PDT by Mr Apple (Everyone must go to the polls in Nov .......or we'll be Outvoted!)
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To: MinuteGal; dynachrome; flaglady47; seekthetruth; danamco; Maine Mariner; pax_et_bonum; exit82

minutegal, you are quite correct about middle class not shopping, but the real reason is missing in your post.

Manufacturing jobs are backbone of middle class jobs.
Millions of these jobs have been exported to cheap labor countries to increase profits. Basically nothing wrong with free trade, but everything wrong with unfair trade. Our foreign trade pacts are terrible. Try exporting American made machines to Japan or China. There are myriad of obstacles! But their goods come into US with no restrictions. Foreign made cars arrive at US ports by the millions facing no restrictions. The reciprocity for American made cars is not present.

Until the foreign trade imbalance of Trillion dollars every year is addressed, expect middle class to keep shrinking. Importing cheap foreign workers on H1-B visa’s causes more devaluation of middle class wages. But since almost all career politicians depend on the ultra rich donor class, nothing is going to change. The middle class is steadily morphing towards the lower income group.


123 posted on 07/09/2016 10:06:08 AM PDT by entropy12
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To: The Cuban

Now chill out and have a nice iced tea before you give yourself an aneurysm, lol.


124 posted on 07/09/2016 10:07:37 AM PDT by Mr Apple (Everyone must go to the polls in Nov .......or we'll be Outvoted!)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

“Those are two different groups although you are not alone on this thread in thinking that they are the same group. “

Even the “working poor” still have plenty. There is no poor. I know guys making six figures that are always broke but guys making far less than that take vacations.

Broke is not poor.


125 posted on 07/09/2016 10:19:59 AM PDT by CodeToad (Islam should be banned and treated as a criminal enterprise!)
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To: CodeToad
They are not talking about people who make six figures but people who earn $27,000 a year.

And they are not spending because they don't have it to spend.

Once you have bought the basics for a family of four with $27,000 a year you are generally out of money.

Yes, compared to people in some other countries they have "lots of stuff".

So does the guy sleeping on the sidewalk that has a biscuit in his pocket because he has breakfast and is wearing a set of clothing.

Is that standard of living all that should be available to a working American family?

Do we now aspire to be just like the third world?

126 posted on 07/09/2016 10:32:42 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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To: nevermorelenore
"My kids are all minimalists, it’s in vogue. They don’t like/want stuff."

mine to for the most part....that's why a whole bunch of collectibles and antiques will probably be sold off at an estate sale when we die.....lol...

but on the practical side, I encourage my dtr NOT to be a collector....you buy stuff and after a while it just does nothing for you but the stuff is too good or valuable to just ditch to goodwill....better not to start collecting at all...

127 posted on 07/09/2016 10:37:57 AM PDT by cherry
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To: Mr Apple

Make allowances for autocorrect.


128 posted on 07/09/2016 11:36:39 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Buttons12

It depends on what state you live in. I’m telling you, she didn’t qualify for anything but a break in health insurance. That still cost her more than $300 a month (plus copays) for the two of them.


129 posted on 07/09/2016 11:37:18 AM PDT by Marie (The vulgarians are at the gate! MAGA!)
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To: CodeToad

“B.S There are no poor in this country. None.”


I agree.

My mother was widowed in 1938 with two kids.

THAT was poor.

.


130 posted on 07/09/2016 11:45:09 AM PDT by Mears (Afrocentrism is "the invention of tradition"-----Hobsbawm)
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To: Mr Apple

Lowbrow and low class seem more apt descriptions in your case. Material wealth doesn’t automatically instill class.


131 posted on 07/09/2016 12:19:01 PM PDT by hoosierham (Freedom isn't free)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

“They may be “too poor to shop” but everybody has the latest “smart” phone.”

I don’t.


132 posted on 07/09/2016 1:25:43 PM PDT by RipSawyer (Racism is racism, regardless of the race of the racist.)
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To: grey_whiskers
Make allowances for autocorrect.

Auto correct would have corrected 'agian' >>>>>..to 'again.' Auto correct would not have left 'agian' ...as 'agian; Thank you but no need to make excuses for this very ignorant POS.

133 posted on 07/09/2016 1:28:21 PM PDT by Mr Apple
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To: nevermorelenore

It’s good that minimilism is “in vogue” since that is all that most can afford.


134 posted on 07/09/2016 1:29:11 PM PDT by RipSawyer (Racism is racism, regardless of the race of the racist.)
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To: entropy12
Entropy, your above analysis is spot on. I could have gotten additionally into unfair trade, lost jobs and disappearing factories in my post, but I confined myself to the topic of the middle-class being "too poor to shop" because to cover all bases I would have been typing all night, yikes!

You did "the rest of the story" for me, thank you...and it was done very succinctly, very accurately....and very well, indeed.

We're the "A-Team", LOL....

Leni

135 posted on 07/09/2016 1:42:54 PM PDT by MinuteGal ( GO, TRUMP, GO !!!)
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Comment #136 Removed by Moderator

To: dynachrome

Part of it IMO is we’ve gone through the period of “walmartification” and are coming to the awareness we don’t need all that crap. My wife and I just downsized and are empty nesting. We got rid of pickup loads of crap and just don’t want a bunch of cheap crap anymore.


137 posted on 07/09/2016 1:54:11 PM PDT by IamConservative (Hillary walks while 100's of teens get prosecuted for mishandling Miley Cyrus MP3's..)
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To: IamConservative

I can’t wait for the kids to go to college so I can downsize and “Go Mobile” (Watch the Police and the Tax Man miss me!)


138 posted on 07/09/2016 1:55:02 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

We have the richest poor people in the history of the world.


139 posted on 07/09/2016 1:55:41 PM PDT by upsdriver (I support Sarah Palin.)
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To: dfwgator

There are books and ample websites that discuss how to live on the road in a mobile home. Things like where to license your rig, get your mail, buy your insurance. Basically, buy ala carte from different states to minimize your taxes.

I’ve given thought to “divorcing” my wife on paper and losing all my assets to her in the settlement and becoming an “indigent” on paper to milk off an early retirement. I can’t. No more than my well to do depression era mother can throw away the heel of her bread loaf.


140 posted on 07/09/2016 2:02:34 PM PDT by IamConservative (Hillary walks while 100's of teens get prosecuted for mishandling Miley Cyrus MP3's..)
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