The Poverty Premium

This is the math of poverty. When you don’t have capital, you pay more over

time for worse outcomes. You’re punished not for your choices, but for your lack of upfront resources.

This isn’t just a story about footwear. This dynamic is everywhere. Let’s talk about

something ordinary: toilet paper. If you have fifty dollars available, you go to a warehouse

store. You buy a massive pack. The cost per roll is cheap.

You’re stocked for months. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you don’t have fifty

dollars to spend all at once. You have four. So you buy a small pack from a convenience

store. The price per roll is triple what the warehouse store charges.