America is passing through an unpredictable transition: people are losing their jobs, unemployment is on the rise, and reckless price hikes on daily staples outpace the buying capacity of the common people. America looks bleak: has the land of opportunity turned to an irony of fate?

Talking to a number of Bangladeshis from several professions, Bangla Patrika reports on the extended reach of the recession in America.

Mofizul Islam, a busboy at a high-end Manhattan hotel, commented that due to a worldwide recession the number of tourists in New York is unexpectedly low. Consequently, money made on tips is less than 50 percent less than before the recession a year ago. He is in the horns of a dilemma: should he meet his family expenses with his scant income or pay the mortgage for his house.

The same anxiety was expressed by Alam, a Bangladeshi cabdriver. According to him, driving a taxicab is no longer as profitable as it was before. With a drastically reduced number of tourists in the city, on the one hand, and the now cash-strapped pedestrians who in the past hailed a taxi but now opt for using a subway or walking, his daily earnings are hopelessly low.

A number of Bangladeshi hair salon owners commented that their income has decreased over the years, explaining that people who used to come in for a monthly haircut now visit the salon once every three months and no one now comes in for a shave. Even though the owners have reduced the number of employees, they still suffer losses because expenses such as rent and utilities remain unchanged.

A Bangladeshi, who was the general manager of British Petroleum, recently lost his job when the company lay off hundreds of workers, sending many Bangladeshis into the ranks of the unemployed. He has abandoned eating at fast-food in restaurants or buying fast-food for his children due to shortage of money. The family now depends entirely on homemade food instead of pizza, burger, or cookies.

A Bangladeshi housewife, who lives at the Parkchester Condominiums and who wished to remain anonymous, said she now purchases cheap laundry detergent instead of the relatively expensive Tide.

Another couple who is worried about their work stopped washing their and other family members’ clothes at the coin laundry due to the per-wash price-hike and to budget constraints. Now, they wash their clothes in their apartment.

Showkat Hosen, a Bangladeshi who works in a gift-shop near a subway exit, told Bangla Patrika that the crowds of customers in the shop have doubled in recent months due to the recession. To handle the surge in customers, the shop has hired two more salesmen.

Bangla Patrika also found that the demand for old clothes spiked since the start of the recession. Bangladeshis, who previously shunned buying old clothes, are now regular customers of such shops irrespective of age or profession.

The economic downturn also dampened the celebration of Eid-ul Azha in the Muslim community. Bangladeshi immigrants were unable to send money for their near and dear ones due to their diminished incomes and the number of orders for sacrificial animals was drastically reduced. The demand for ready-made garments and other related goods also suffered. Those who lost their jobs now depend on their savings or on loans from several sources.

The economic slide upset the lifestyle of mainstream Americans. According to the Bangla Patrika, a press report states that consumption of fast-foods and wine have dropped. Americans travelling abroad who in the past preferred staying at pricey hotels like the Hilton Hotel, now search for more modest accommodations and restaurants. As well, the unprecedented crowds experienced on the “Black Friday” at large department stores around the United States were made up of people queued up looking for bargains. One man was killed in a stampede of shoppers at a Long Island Wal-Mart.