Business is booming for both Barney’s and Bargain Basement, but as middle-income workers continue to get hit by recessionary pressures and wage stagnation, restaurants and retailers that once enjoyed the spending habits of the American middle class are dying off as their customer base falls back towards poverty.

Providing further evidence that the post-recession economy is one in which only the rich have prospered, a New York Times analysis published Sunday says that, as evidenced by the current winners and losers in the business world, the middle class isundoubtedly “eroding.”

“The post-recession reality is that the customer base for businesses that appeal to the middle class is shrinking as the top tier pulls even further away,” the Times reports.

For example, since 2005, the number of diners eating at “midtier” restaurants such as Red Lobster and Olive Garden have dropped in every quarter but one, according to John Glass, an industry analyst at Morgan Stanley.

The Times reports: