Midnight Shopping and Rising Demand

from David Ruccio

They’re shopping at Wal-Mart, Kroger’s, and other stores—at midnight, on the first of the month—because that’s when their benefits kick in.

As the Wall Street Journal reports,

Wal-Mart executives have cited the midnight rush for the past year as evidence that stressed consumers are stretching the limits of the “paycheck cycle.” The company hasn’t disclosed exact figures, but it says purchases made with electronic-benefits cards have surged in the past two years.

Participation in the federal food-stamp program swelled from 26 million Americans in 2007 to more than 33 million last year, and it continues to surge. As of June, the latest figures available, more than 41.2 million people were receiving monthly assistance, which averaged $133.36 a person. 

Similarly, the U.S. Agriculture Department’s supplemental nutrition grant program for women, infants and children, known as WIC, saw participation grow beyond 9.3 million last year, up from 8.7 million two years ago, government figures show.

The need to be out shopping at midnight for the necessities of life is a depressing sign of the current depression.