A Study in Contrasts...

A number of interesting stories today...

A NYT article, "Some Jostling, but Less of a Frenzy Among Shoppers" reveals that "...At Wal-Mart stores around the country, consumers said they were feeling the pain. At a store in Columbus, Ohio, Michelle Perry, 33, a waitress at Waffle House, said she moved this year from a nice rented house in the middle-class suburb of Pataskala to one in a rough neighborhood on the north side of Columbus.“I can’t even let my kids outside without me going with them,” she said. “But we had to do something to save money, and I’m saving $300 a month by switching from renting to buying.”Still, she feels better about her finances this year than she did last year. After Wal-Mart, she was off to Meijer’s to look for an Xbox 360 for her son, and for gifts inspired by the film “Twilight” for her 12-year-old daughter.“She’s got to have the Twilight lip gloss,” Ms. Perry said. “Every girl at her school has it, so she’s got to have it, too.”"

"Food banks nationwide report more 1st timers - With layoffs and wage cutbacks, more 1st time visitors at food banks across the country" describes a number of people going to food banks. "...About half of the almost 40,000 families who have been fed at Holy Family Food Pantry in Waukegan, Ill., about 40 miles north of Chicago, are new, services director Barb Karacic said. They include Gail Small, a 55-year-old school bus driver who got laid off from her $16 an hour job at the Waukegan Public School District earlier in the year and hasn't been able to find work since."It was very embarrassing," Small said. " I didn't tell my children. I didn't tell my dad."Others say at some point, the need to survive trumps emotions.Linda Herrera, 59, went to All Saints Parish on Detroit's southwest side for the first time this week. Herrera, who is on state assistance, said the embarrassment of having to pick up food was offset by her empty cupboards."We were down to practically nothing," she said, carrying out bags containing juice, mashed potatoes, dried milk, rice and beans. " I'm trying to just make it now 'til the end of the month, until I get my check." "