The post-recession reality is that the customer base for businesses that appeal to the middle class is shrinking as the top tier pulls even further away.
In 2012, the top 5 percent of earners were responsible for 38 percent of domestic consumption, up from 28 percent in 1995, the researchers found.
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Since 2009, the year the recession ended, inflation-adjusted spending by this top echelon has risen 17 percent, compared with just 1 percent among the bottom 95 percent.
Source: The Middle Class Is Steadily Eroding. Just Ask the Business World. – The New York Times