US consumers: a buck at a time You can find just about anything at an American dollar store, including insight into the US consumer. On Wednesday Family Dollar Stores, one of the chains that sell everything from food and household items to clothing and mobile phones at heavily discounted prices, reported earnings that surpassed analysts" expectations. But the growth was tilted to consumables (food, health and beauty aids, and tobacco) while sales of discretionary items fell year on year. The company expects ongoing pressure on sales of non-necessities. Chief executive Howard Levine said customers had been "forced to make spending choices between basic needs and wants." Mr Levine's observation highlights an uneven economic recovery in the US, with the wealthier driving growth so far. A recent study from the Pew Research Center showed that in the first two years of the recovery, the wealth of the richest 7 per cent of households rose almost 30 per cent, while mean net worth of the rest of the population fell 4 per cent. Families are facing higher US payroll taxes, but it is mostly upper-income folks who have the offsetting benefit of higher prices on homes and stock portfolios. It is not terribly surprising, then, that shares of Family Dollar and Walmart, down 1 per cent and up 9 per cent during the past year respectively, trail companies that cater to wealthier customers. Shares in Whole Foods and Nordstrom are up 18 and 23 per cent respectively. Still, Family Dollar's stock jumped on its results. As well as economic trends, US retailers are faced with other forces, including competition from internet merchants. The key for spreading the wealth is the jobs market. If that improves further, lower-end consumers and the stores they shop in stand to benefit - unless it is so good that some start to trade up.