# THE MIDDLE IS GONE - Here's What's Happening Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/iallegedly-6581161/the-middle-is-gone-here-s-what-s-happening Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/iallegedly-6581161/the-middle-is-gone-here-s-what-s-happening.md Podcast: [IAllegedly](https://stenobird.com/podcast/iallegedly-6581161) Published: 2026-08-22T12:33:11+00:00 Episode link: https://streams.studeo.fm/episodes/1b674d0e-149a-48f2-af97-4c4348cd65db_1787402006.mp3 Audio file: https://streams.studeo.fm/episodes/1b674d0e-149a-48f2-af97-4c4348cd65db_1787402006.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/iallegedly-6581161/episodes/the-middle-is-gone-here-s-what-s-happening Duration seconds: 923 ## Resource The Middle Class is getting wiped out! Retail is changing right before our eyes. Stores are closing, businesses are struggling, consumers are running out of savings and credit, yet discount retailers like Ross and other off-price stores are expanding. In this video, Dan from iAllegedly breaks down why consumers are trading down, hunting for bargains and demanding more value for every dollar they spend. The retail economy is not simply disappearing — the middle is disappearing. From Ross and Marshalls to McDonald's, Kraft Heinz, Whirlpool and Wendy's, major companies are responding to a consumer who is under enormous financial pressure. We look at changing shopping habits, declining purchasing power, rising costs, disappearing savings, credit problems, private equity, retail closures and why discount stores may be positioned to win as Americans become more price-conscious. The consumer is still spending, but they're spending differently — and that could tell us a lot about where the economy is headed. 👍 Like, subscribe, and check out the private uncensored channel at https://iallegedly.tv ✉️ Please join our email list to stay updated and connected. Sign up here https://bit.ly/2Y21C19 Dan's Mailing Address Dan @ iAllegedly PO Box 564 Tustin, CA 92781 Here are the links for the stories mentioned in this video https://www.dailymail.com/yourmoney/a... https://www.yahoo.com/finance/economy... https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/art... https://nypost.com/2026/08/17/lifesty... https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/sto... Free Video Sharing https://www.newvideos.com/ Dan's Private Channel https://iallegedly.tv/ Please be kind to everyone you meet. All the best and make it a great day, Dan ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/iallegedly-6581161/episodes/the-middle-is-gone-here-s-what-s-happening/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/iallegedly-6581161/the-middle-is-gone-here-s-what-s-happening.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.