When I Want Something, I Shop. Many Americans Are Too Poor to Do That.

We don't think about this often, usually because we're surrounded by people who, like us, are doing okay.

These people aren't shopping.

I remember when I was about thirty-three a time when I had just closed a business and gone back to a music career and, er, let's say I had a serious cash flow problem. Yeah, I was broke. I had a car, a home, and maybe a bit of gas money.

The thing is, as down and out as I was, I never thought, "Holy shit, I'm screwed." What I thought was, "I'm okay, wait it out. Things will break." What happened next was I got a gig, got paid that night, then got another gig, and slowly worked out of my problem.

But the real secret was I was connected to my class. I could have crashed on a friend's couch, or gone home, or borrowed a couple of bucks. I didn't need to, I made it. But my class was my safety net.

Many people don't have that safety net. They're one lost job, one health problem away from catastrophe. They're often so poor, they can't shop.

Retailers have blamed the weather, slow job growth and millennials for their poor results this past year, but a new study claims that more than 20 percent of Americans are simply too poor to shop.

These 26 million Americans are juggling two to three jobs, earning just around $27,000 a year and supporting two to four children — and exist largely under the radar, according to America’s Research Group, which has been tracking consumer shopping trends since 1979.

“The poorest Americans have stopped shopping, except for necessities,” said Britt Beemer, chairman of ARG.

This is in the richest country in the world, or so we like to say. If it's true, then why are so many poor? If it's not true, then why do we say it?

If we wanted, could we fix it? What do you think? More importantly, how would you fix it? Seriously. How?