WHY RETAIL SALES ARE SLUGGISH

Retail sales are in the tank and the common reason given is they are not spending , they are saving or paying down bills.   I believe there is another reason , one that is seldom talked about, and when it is the story is about workers striking of demonstrating for higher wages.

I suggest the real reason is that a large portion of the work force doesn't make enough money to buy much else than things necessary for life. 

 

When over 65 million make $15000 or less it doesn't lead to spending on anything other than necessities.  Those necessities are costing more and more each trip to the grocery store, taking a bigger bite out of what little they have, leaving nothing for extras.

You know extras like health insurance, steak , ice cream, and of course nothing left for a retirement fund.  

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What I find revolting is that some of the biggest corporations paying minimum wage or maybe just a little more, still find it necessary to limit their hours so they do not have to provide benefits like health insurance.  Yet they do supply their employees instruction to get food stamps and income assistance.  Benefits you and I are paying for, not that I mind but, hell if we pay a share shouldn't the employer?  

Asking for $15/hr is seen as excessive but I ask you to stop and think for just a minute.  $15/hr full time is still only $15K a year hardly a living wage.  There have been study after study shows that raising these low wage employees to a living wage would add trivial amounts to the product or services being offered.  The owners of these companies should hang their heads in shame when they make the top one hundred richest in the world.  Instead they go out and buy another mansion or a very large luxury yacht.  

A TOTALLY UNFAIR EXAMPLE (MAYBE)

 

Being built for a oil Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates.  At a mere 800 million bucks.

While the above yacht is an outrageous example , other rich spend unashamed of their opulent purchases.  The richer they get the stinger they are to the people that made them rich.  

With more and more low wage jobs replacing high paying manufacturing jobs coupled with the ever rising cost of education makes for a desperate young wondering what are they going to do.  Even this years graduating class saddled with high student loans , many have been able to find a job , even a low wage job.  

With a critical election coming in 2016 now is the time to pick and back a person who will push to correct the mess we are in.  Early looks at the fields of prospective presidents shows not many who will foster the kind of change needed.  So pick wisely.