There really isn't much to this article. From the title, I thought it was going to discuss the problems that people face when they live paycheck-to-paycheck and/or near the poverty line, which is a story that's been told but bears repeating and further exploration.
Instead, it merely remarks that some US corporations have noticed an upward trend in the number of their customers who are a part of this very predictable cycle (pay/benefits days, usually at the end of the month), and mentions that more "middle-class" are now a part of the cycle.
However, it doesn't delve much deeper than linking it to the recession, and doesn't offer any insights into how these businesses are adapting other than vague references to "big data" (with a hat-trick of references to the term).
Yeah, I was hoping for practical quantification of the minimum viable cost of living. Fascinated with $1 meals, I get a lot of flack over "cost of living" which usually includes a lot which I consider relative luxuries. Take those waiting for the midnight EBT recharge and see what they really buy, and see whether their choices are more a matter of need, desire, education, awareness, and/or availability. Methinks the real issues are buried under the heated rhetoric.
Instead, it merely remarks that some US corporations have noticed an upward trend in the number of their customers who are a part of this very predictable cycle (pay/benefits days, usually at the end of the month), and mentions that more "middle-class" are now a part of the cycle.
However, it doesn't delve much deeper than linking it to the recession, and doesn't offer any insights into how these businesses are adapting other than vague references to "big data" (with a hat-trick of references to the term).