When everyone expects young people to pick up the slack, what happens when they refuse? What if they simply opt out? Or, what if they choose not to have children at all?
This is how weak consumer spending comes about.
He who fulfills others' needs creates wealth.
Buy ten boxes of apples, sell ten boxes—unsold boxes are still a cost. Buy ten cases of soda, half-week sell-through versus half-year sell-through, is that the same thing?
Cost isn't just rent, utilities, and purchase price. Those fixed expenses aren't the real cost. The true cost is transaction cost—sales loss and sales turnover rate (velocity).