When working leads to food stamp usage and the rise of dollar stores: Food stamp usage is still near record levels even in the face of a dropping unemployment rate.
Food stamp usage surges when the economy enters into a recession. That is no surprise. In fact, this is the design of the program. A safety net when things get bad. But if we are to believe headline indicators, the economy is improving so we should see food stamp usage decline substantially. It has not. […]
Dollar Store Nation: Largest percentage of Americans on food stamps while stock market disconnects from working class Americans.
While the stock market whipsaws like a rollercoaster, many Americans only see one tiny benefit to their bottom line. The massive drop in oil prices will add a few extra dollars into the wallets of Americans just in time for the holiday shopping season. Many will only have the budget to shop at dollar stores […]
When a dollar store is too expensive: Growing class of poor Americans unable to afford items at dollar stores.
You know things are tough when people face a challenge purchasing goods at dollar stores. The dollar store economy has been robust for the last decade as the US economy has shed the weight of millions of middle class families. As more people move down the economic ladder, these stores hit a critical niche. I […]
United States of Food Stamps: Food stamp usage has grown by 30,000,000 people since 2000. The economics of a food stamp recovery.
I was working through a few pages of Excel data regarding food stamp usage and a troubling milestone has now been breached. Since 2000, we have now added over 30,000,000 Americans to the food stamp program now labeled SNAP. What is even more difficult to understand is this number has moved up nearly unabated since […]