Yahoo! News is asking everyday Americans - whether they support the Occupy Wall Street protests or not - to share their tale of living in today's economy. Below is a story from a reader.
FIRST PERSON | The economic downturn took a little longer to get to Texas than other places. I own a small resale shop for women that continued to grow and thrive until about a year ago. I took great satisfaction in comparing sales for each month to the prior year and seeing the business grow 20 percent to 33 percent each time.
In September 2010, for the first time, sales were less than the prior year. Now they are about half. I've cut our operational hours, moved to a less expensive space, increased my own work hours and reduced staff to the bare bones. People always comment that I "should be in a great business for this economy." It drives me crazy when they say that.
The good businesses to be in are the ones that serve the rich. I serve the poor and middle classes. I am one of the 99 percent, but more importantly, I serve them. My survival depends on theirs. They don't buy clothes, purses, jewelry and shoes any more. They buy food and gas.
Your story: Are you part of the 99 percent? How do you feel about Occupy Wall Street?
Ironically, in some ways, business is booming. We actually have more customers and make more sales than ever. The problem is they aren't buying very much. The $5 a bag bin and 75-percent-off racks are popular. The higher end items, like Coach purses and designer jeans, are selling for 20 percent to 25 percent less than last year, when we can sell them at all.
Our society has become one of haves and have-nots. Those who still have jobs still buy their clothes at the mall. They may buy a little less, and they probably pay less, too. Most regular retailers are offering more sales and discounts these days.
Our customers only buy the things they absolutely need. If they can't make it through the week without washing jeans, they come in and buy one pair. That's it.
My ex-husband hasn't paid child support for about six months, because his unemployment ran out. Thankfully I am remarried to a man with a job. Still we were always structured as a two-income household, and I have to hold up my end.
I have started a second career writing, and I basically work -- at one job or the other -- all of my waking hours.
I sympathize with the frustrations of those who call themselves the 99 percent, yet I am also a little bit irritated with them. What are they accomplishing beyond a great cathartic emotional purge? Couldn't they be doing something more productive with their time? I work so hard at so many different things trying to hold it together. I have to admit it annoys me to see a bunch of people not working and demanding someone else solve their problems for them.
I may fail. I may even go under. But I get up every single day and put everything I have into preventing that from happening.
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