Poor stretching paychecks to breaking point

Poor stretching paychecks to breaking point

NEW YORK (AP) -- The calculus of living paycheck to paycheck in America is getting harder.

 

What used to last four days might last half that long now. Pay the gas bill, but skip breakfast. Eat less for lunch so the kids can have a healthy dinner.

 

Across the nation, Americans are increasingly unable to stretch their dollars to the next payday as they juggle higher rent, food and energy bills. It's starting to affect middle-income working families as well as the poor, and has reached the point of affecting day-to-day calculations of merchants like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., 7-Eleven Inc. and Family Dollar Stores Inc.

 

Food pantries, which distribute foodstuffs to the needy, are reporting severe shortages and reduced government funding at the very time that they are seeing a surge of new people seeking their help.

 

While economists debate whether the country is headed for a recession, some say the financial stress is already the worst since the last downturn at the start of this decade.

 

From Family Dollar to Wal-Mart, merchants have adjusted their product mix and pricing accordingly. Sales data show a marked and more prolonged drop in spending in the days before shoppers get their paychecks, when they buy only the barest essentials before splurging around payday.

 

"It's pretty pronounced," said Kiley Rawlins, a spokeswoman at Family Dollar. "It seems like to us, customers are running out of food products, paper towels sooner in the month."

 

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, said the imbalance in spending before and after payday in July was the biggest it has ever seen, though the drop-off wasn't as steep in August.

 

And 7-Eleven says its grocery sales have jumped 12-13 percent over the past year, compared with only slight increases for non-necessities like gloves and toys. Shoppers can't afford to load up at the supermarket and are going to the most convenient places to buy emergency food items like milk and eggs.

 

"It even costs more to get the basics like soap and laundry detergent," said Michelle Grassia, who lives with her husband and three teenage children in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York.

 

Her husband's check from his job at a grocery store used to last four days. "Now, it lasts only two," she said.

 

To make up the difference, Grassia buys one gallon of milk a week instead of three. She sometimes skips breakfast and lunch to make sure there's enough food for her children. She cooks with a hot plate because gas is too expensive. And she depends more than ever on the bags of free vegetables and powdered milk from a local food pantry.

 

Grassia's story is neither new nor unique. With the fastest-rising food and energy prices since the 1980s, low-income consumers are stretching their budgets by eating cheap foods like peanut butter and pasta.

 

Industry analysts and some economists fear the strain will get worse as people are hit with higher home heating bills this winter and mortgage rates go up.

 

It's bad enough already for 85-year-old Dominica Hoffman.

 

She gets $1,400 a month in pension and Social Security from her days in the garment industry. After paying $500 in rent on an apartment in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and shelling out money for food, gas and other expenses, she's broke by the end of the month. She's had to cut fruits and vegetables from her grocery order -- and that's even with financial help from her children.

 

"Everything is up," she said.

 

Many consumers, particularly those making less than $30,000 a year, are cutting spending on nutritious food like milk and vegetables, and analysts fear they're further skimping on basic medical care and other critical services.

 

Coupon-clipping just isn't enough.

 

"The reality of hunger is right here," said the Rev. Melony Samuels, director of The BedStuy Campaign against Hunger, a church-affiliated food pantry in Brooklyn.

 

The pantry scrambled to feed 5,000 new families over the past 12 months, up almost 70 percent from 3,000 the year before.

 

"I am shocked to see such numbers," Samuels said, "and I am really concerned that this is just the beginning of what we are going to see."

 

In the past three months, Samuels has seen more clients in higher-paying jobs -- the $35,000 range -- line up for food as the fallout of the subprime mortgage woes takes hold.

 

The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, which covers 23 counties in New York State, cited a 30 percent rise in visitors in the first nine months of this year, compared with 2006.

 

Maureen Schnellmann, senior director of food and nutrition programs at the American Red Cross Food Pantry in Boston, reported a 30 percent increase from January through August over last year.

 

Until a few months ago, Dellria Seales, a home care assistant, was just getting by living with her daughter, a hairdresser, and two grandchildren in a one-bedroom apartment for $750 a month. But a knee injury in January forced her to quit her job, leaving her at the mercy of Samuels' pantry because most of her daughter's $1,200 a month income goes to rent, energy and food costs.

 

"I need it. Without it, we wouldn't survive," Seales said as she picked up carrots and bananas.

 

John Vogel, a professor at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business, worries that the squeeze will lead to a less nutritious diet and inadequate medical or child care.

 

In the meantime, rising costs show no signs of abating.

 

Gas prices hit a record nationwide average of $3.23 per gallon in late May before receding a little, though prices are expected to soar again later this year. Food costs have increased 4.5 percent over the past 12 months, partly because of higher fuel costs. Egg prices were 44 percent higher, while milk was up 21.3 percent over the past 12 months to nearly $4 a gallon, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

The average family of four is spending anywhere from $7 to $10 extra a week -- $40 more a month -- on groceries alone, compared to a year ago, according to retail consultant Burt Flickinger III.

 

And while overall wage growth is a solid 4.1 percent over the past 12 months, economists say the increases are mostly for the top earners.

 

Retailers started noticing the strain in late spring and early summer as they were monitoring the spending around the paycheck cycle.

 

Wal-Mart and Family Dollar key on the first week of the month, when government checks like Social Security and public assistance generally hit consumers' mailboxes.

 

7-Eleven, whose customers are more diverse, looks at paycheck cycles in specific markets dominated by a major employer, such as General Motors in Detroit, to discern trends in shopping.

 

To economize, shoppers are going for less expensive food.

 

"They're buying more peanut butter and pasta. And they're going for hamburger meat," Flickinger, the retail consultant, said. "They're trying to outsmart the store by looking for deep discounts at the end of the month."

 

He said the last time he saw this was 2000-2001, when the dot-com bubble burst and the economy went into a recession after massive layoffs.

 

For now, low-price retailers are readjusting their merchandising and pricing.

 

Wal-Mart is becoming more aggressive on discounting. It announced Thursday it is expanding price cuts to 15,000 items, ranging from Motts apple juice and Progresso soups to women's fleece tops, heading into the holidays.

 

Family Dollar, whose food offerings were limited to candy and snacks until two years ago, has expanded its mix of groceries like fruit cups, cereal and such refrigerated items as milk and ice cream while cutting back on shoes. This summer the chain began accepting food stamps.

 

Food pantries are also getting creative. Samuels said her church, Full Gospel Tabernacle of Faith, just started offering free cooking classes to teach clients who are diabetic or have other health conditions how to prepare vegetables like squash. It's also offering free exercise classes.

 

"We are trying to make them health conscious," Samuels said. "It's not right to give them just anything. Our mantra is eat well and live well."

穷人的薪水不够花

穷人的薪水不够花

纽约（美联社） -靠薪水生活的美国穷人生活越来越难。

过去可用四天的薪水，现在只能用一半的时间。交了燃气的钱，只好不吃早餐。少吃午饭，让孩子们能有一个健康的晚餐。

在全国范围内，由于较高的租金、食物及能源费用，美国人的钱越来越难坚持到下一次发薪。穷人受影响，中等收入家庭也开始受影响。一些商家的日常销售额也已经受影响，象沃尔玛、 7-11公司和家庭美元店公司。

分发食品给穷人的食品分发处报告短缺严重，并且政府的资金就在需要食品分发处帮助的人数激增时减少了。

经济学家在辩论该国是否是在走向衰退；有些人说，自二十一世纪开始时第一次衰退以来，金融胁迫已达到最糟。

从家庭美元店公司到沃尔玛，商家进行了产品结构调整和相应调价。销售数据显示，在顾客得到他们的薪水前的那段时间，有着明显的、长时间的销售量下跌；顾客只买最需要的基本生活用品；然后在得到他们的薪水的那段时间，他们大买特买。

“很明显，”家庭美元店的发言人凯利罗林斯表示，“对我们来说，客户用完食品、纸巾的日期提前了一些。”

沃尔玛公司是世界上最大的零售商，说它见过的最大的发薪前后消费失衡是在7月份；虽然7月份的消费下降不如8月份剧烈。

7-11公司表示，在过去的一年里，其杂货销售已经跃升12-13 ％，非必需品如手套、玩具等只略有增加。购物者没钱不能在超市买够东西，只能前往最便利的地方购买紧急时备用应急的食物，如牛奶和鸡蛋。

“买肥皂和洗涤剂这些基本物品也需要更多的钱了，”米歇尔格拉亚说，她与她的丈夫和3个十几岁的孩子住在纽约布鲁克林的贝德福德区。

她丈夫在一家杂货店工作，过去他的工资够用4天。“现在，它只能用两天，”她说。

为了弥补差额，格拉亚每星期买一加仑牛奶，而不是三加仑牛奶。她有时会跳过早餐和午餐，以确保有她的孩子有足够的食物。她用一个盘子烹煮，因为燃气太贵。而她比以往任何时候都更依赖从当地食品分发处获得袋装免费蔬菜和奶粉。

格拉亚的故事，是既不新鲜也不独特。自20世纪80年代以来，食品和能源价格快速增长，低收入消费者靠吃廉价食物，如花生酱和面食，来延长自己的预算。

业界分析家和一些经济学家们担心，今年冬天的取暖帐单和抵押贷款利率上升会使经济压力更大。

对85岁的多米尼克霍夫曼而言，情况太糟糕了。

过去在服装行业工作的她得到每月1,400元的退休金和社会保障。为在新泽西州Pennsauken的一间公寓缴纳500元租金，减去用于粮食、燃气和其他费用，她每月底都身无分文。她不得不从她的购物单中取消水果和蔬菜；这还是在她的孩子们给予经济帮助后的情况。

“每分钱都用完了。”

许多消费者，尤其是那些收入低于每年30,000元的消费者，削减营养品如牛奶和蔬菜的支出。分析家担心，他们还在医疗和其他关键性的服务上一省再省。

只有商家的优待券是不够的。

 

“这里就有饥饿，”Bedstuy反饥饿运动主任，牧师塞缪尔斯说。Bedstuy是布鲁克林区一所教堂附属的食物分发处。

在过去12个月中，该食物分发处匆匆忙忙地给最近12个月新增的5000个家庭分发了食物，去年是3000个家庭，同比增长近70 ％。

“我很惊讶地看到这样的数字，”塞缪尔说，“我担心这仅仅我们将要看到的事情的一个开始。”

在过去的3个月，塞缪尔看到更多报酬更高的客户，收入在 35,000美元的人因次级优惠按揭贷款所累，也来排队领食品。

纽约东北部涵盖纽约州23个县的地区食品库，说相比2006年，在今年的前9个月光顾者增加30 ％。

美国红十字会波士顿食品分发处的食品和营养项目主任莫林施内尔曼报告，今年一至八月与去年同比光顾者增加30 ％。

居家护理助理dellria seales 与她做美发师的女儿还有两个孙子住在一套一卧室的公寓，房租为每月750元。直到几个月前，日子免强过得去。但今年一月，她因膝盖受伤辞去了工作，只能靠塞缪尔食品分发处的可怜过日子，因为女儿1,200美元的月收入的大部份用来交房租和支付能源和食品的开销。

“需要它。没有它，我们将无法生存，”  Sealesg一边拿起胡萝卜和香蕉一边说。

达特茅斯大学塔克商学院的John Vogel教授担心这种节省将导致缺乏营养的饮食、缺少医疗服务和儿童保健。

在此期间，成本上升没有减弱的迹象。

天然气价格创下了全国平均价最新纪录。5月下旬平均每加仑3.23美元，然后逐渐消退一点，虽然价格有望在今年晚些时候再度飙升。在过去12个月中，食品价格上升了4.5 ％，部分原因是燃料成本增加。根据劳动统计局的数据，鸡蛋价格升高44 ％；而牛奶在过去12个月内，同比增长21.3 ％，接近4美元1加仑。

据零售业顾问伯特弗利金杰说，相比去年同期，普通的一家四口每星期食品杂货要多开支7元至10元，每月多支出40元。

虽然在过去的12个月里，整体工资增长为4.1 ％；一些经济学家指出，增长工资的大部分为高收入者。

在今年春末夏初，零售商开始注意到这些变化，因为他们正在追踪发薪周期与消费的关联。

沃尔玛公司和家庭美元在每月的第一个星期受影响，因为这时政府的帐单--如社会保障和公共援助，通常在这时到达消费者的信箱。

7 -1 1公司的客户比较杂，他们关注特定市场上的发薪消费周期来认识购物趋势；这些市场的主导者是主要的雇主，如底特律通用汽车公司。

为了节约，购物者都去买较便宜的食品。

“他们正在购买更多的花生酱和面食。他们会去买汉堡肉，”零售公司顾问弗利金杰说，“他们试图比店家更聪明，在月底之前找大降价。”

他说，他最后一次看到这种情形是在2000-2001年；当时网络泡沫破灭，大量裁员后，经济进入衰退期。

现在，低价格的零售商都在调整自己的销售规划和定价。

沃尔玛打折扣更积极了。周四，它宣布假期前降价扩大至15000项物品，包括Motts苹果汁、progresso汤和妇女的羊毛上衣等等。

二年前，家庭美元的食品仅限于糖果和点心，现其杂货产品结构已扩大，包括什锦水果、麦片、冷藏牛奶和雪糕等，同时减少了鞋类。今年夏天，该连锁店开始接受食品券。

食品分发处也更具创造性。塞缪尔说，她的教会，信念的全福音礼拜堂，刚刚开始提供免费的烹饪班教学，教导糖尿病人或有其他健康问题的人，如何煮象南瓜这样的蔬菜。它也提供免费的健身课程。

“我们正试图使他们有健康意识，”塞缪尔说。“只给东西给他们是不正确的。我们的口头禅是吃得好过得好。”