Economic strain on wealthy difficult to measure

Aug 19, 2008 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- JWN | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The rich are different from you and me in a way they should probably get more credit for. They don't whine so much about the economy.

That makes it hard, economists say, to get an accurate read on whether affluent people are feeling the same kind of financial pain and insecurity that is afflicting their less well-heeled neighbors. Disappointing results at some upscale retail chains such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom seem to suggest they do.

On Tuesday, Saks said its second-quarter revenue dropped 3.5 percent and predicted the rest of the year won't be much better.

But there is little hard data that indicates a broad spending pullback by the wealthy.

"The rich are not income-constrained, which is why they are rich," quips Carl Steidtmann, chief economist with Deloitte Research.

Anecdotes and surveys of the rich, however, abound, even though they often offer conflicting views.

Victor Skrebneski, the well-known Chicago portrait photographer, says cutting back is not a topic of conversation at the parties and dinners he attends. He still charges $25,000 a pop for portrait sittings and shoots dozens a year.

"The portrait business is terrific. I don't know why but it's terrific," says Skrebneski.

Ikram Goldman, owner of the tony Ikram boutique on Chicago's Rush Street, says she isn't picking up any economic jitters either. "It's ridiculous to talk about the economy with what we sell,'' she said. "We just don't fit the mold of what happens in the real world."

When her customers are debating whether to splurge on a $1,100 Narciso Rodriguez suit or a $500 dress by Thakoon, the last thing they complain about is $4 a gallon gas.

Still, when asked whether they're trying to cut back, rich people give the same answer as everybody else.

In a recent survey by American Express Publishing, 80 percent of America's richest households said they were looking closely at their spending in every category to see if they can save money, an increase of 12 percentage points since April. The number of affluent and wealthy households reporting they were cutting consumption rose by 33 percent.

The survey defined affluent households as those with discretionary household income of $100,000 to $499,000 after subtracting taxes, mortgage payments and children's educational expenses. Wealthy was defined as households with discretionary income of more than $500,000. Those two groups represent just 10 percent of the U.S. population but they represent about half of all retail sales, according to American Express.

That means the spending behavior of the rich has an outsized impact. Any significant economizing would be felt by a wide range of industries and service providers from apparel manufacturers to art galleries to pet groomers.

Pam Danziger, a retail consultant who studies the luxury market, says she has witnessed the evolution of a high-end consumer who questions the worth of the luxury lifestyle: the Temperate Pragmatist.

Some are worried about their carbon footprints. Others are tired of striving to keep up with their richer friends and colleagues. Now that they can't take out a home equity loan to pay off their credit card balances, that may not be possible anyway.

"Suddenly, anti-status is cool," says Danziger, who defines affluent consumers as those with $150,000 in household income.

But it's still cool to travel. A recent survey by American Express Travel found that 87 percent of those surveyed said they would still be taking the same number of vacations to pursue their "personal passions" such as cooking or sports during the next two years. A portion of those said they would be increasing such travel.

Sixty percent said personal travel has become so important to their mental health they would not consider cutting back because of economic concerns.

Chicago interior designer and socialite Laura Barnett Sawchyn is seeing the rich adjust their lives in small ways. People are changing their driving habits, maybe not going away to their second home every weekend. Or they might skip a $1,000-a-seat charity event, netting $2,000 in savings in one night.

"I'm not seeing anybody really doing without," says Sawchyn, the former head of the Parkways Foundation, which hosts an annual ladies' lunch in June that benefits Chicago parks. "It's really the superfluous stuff that is being cut back on. I don't see them not buying the new painting for the house or anything that would help them live better on a day-to-day basis."

Similarly, salon owner Scott Wilker is noticing some wealthy clients tweak their regimes.

"Instead of coming every week for manicures and blow drys, they're extending it to every other week. Some may be skipping a blow dry for a black-tie or a wedding," said Wilker, who co-owns the salon in Chicago with his partner, Emilio Rivera.

At Salon Duo, a blow dry can run an extra $70 on top of the cost of a cut.

Yet revenue is actually running a few percent ahead of last year and some clients don't seem to be affected at all. One loyal customer is still driving in from the suburbs twice a week for blow-drys and manicures, Wilker says.

However, chatter in the salon is definitely gloomy when the economy comes up. "Peoples' attitudes are not fabulous," Wilker says. "With clients, it's like money, the market; it's just been so volatile."

Personally, Wilker and Rivera are pulling back a little themselves. They aren't ordering out as much and they didn't take a big vacation this year, in part because of large special assessments on their condo and salon. "We like to play hard but we're smart gentlemen. We don't want to be cutting hair until we're 80."

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