While top luxury stores like Saks Fifth Avenue continue to do well, merchants that cater to middle and lower income shoppers have suffered as consumers struggle with higher gas and food prices as well as a slumping housing market.
This is a quote from a yahoo article today.

Seems they are saying the rich are getting richer, and the poor, and middle class, are getting poorer. Any surprises here?

Don't forget exhorbitant taxes, also, that the middle class is paying to support illegal aliens, who in turn buy up all the goods here and ship them home ..or wire the cash home they earn from the big business folks who hire them; and, at the same time, use welfare services to get by, at our expense.

I make ok money as a nurse and am the lesser breadwinner, but I pay about $900 a month about of my paycheck EVERY MONTH. That is NUTS. If I had it to spend, I would ..but now the rest of the paycheck is needed to cover the basics -- housing, gas, and food. I don't HAVE any disposable income, at all. Just pocket change. And my husband and I together make a six figure income!!

Our largest expenses: housing, food, childcare, education, gas, and insurance. Once we pay all these off, we're broke for the month. I can't even afford Target!! We do live on the most expensive east coast, but still, the tax bill is really out of control.

We are also trying to rent a home we can't sell, almost can't even find a renter for it. There are NO people out there willing to rent your house, either. If we dont' rent our house, we will be strapped with TWO very overpriced. mortgages.

I hope these retailers and economists just STEW if holiday sales are in a slump. Dammit, why do they think they're in a slump?? We're all being taxed to death!!