The back-to-school season is coming. Many families feel that the prices of children's shoes are going up.
随着返校季快到了,很多家庭感到孩子鞋子的价格在上涨。
Jonah Seidenberg is 12. He liked a pair of sports shoes called Nike Minds.
12岁的Jonah Seidenberg看中了一双运动鞋,名字叫Nike Minds。
In the end, he bought the shoes at Dick's Sporting Goods for 145 dollars. That was the full price.
最后他在Dick's Sporting Goods用145美元买了这双鞋,是全价。
His mother, Lisa Seidenberg, said this price was over the budget.
他的妈妈Lisa Seidenberg说,这个价格超过了预算。
So Jonah paid 40 dollars himself.
所以Jonah自己付了40美元。
In the first half of this year, shoe prices went up by 3.2%.
今年上半年,鞋子的价格上涨了3.2%。
The rise for the whole year may be the fastest in 34 years.
全年涨幅可能会是34年来最快的。
There is a real estate agent in San Francisco named Elizabeth Powers.
旧金山有一位房地产经纪人,名字叫Elizabeth Powers。
She says children's feet grow too fast.
她说,孩子的脚长得太快了。
Shoe prices are rising, but quality is getting worse, and that makes her unhappy.
鞋子价格在涨,但质量却变差了,这让她很不开心。
She still spends a few hundred dollars on shoes for each child every year.
她每年还是坚持给每个孩子花几百美元买鞋。
She looks for coupons and picks styles that are easier to match.
她会找优惠券,也会选更容易搭配的款式。
Priya Parthasarathy works at a foot and ankle clinic in the US. She says children aged 7 to 10 grow every 6 to 9 months, so their shoes no longer fit.
美国足踝专科的合伙人Priya Parthasarathy说,7到10岁的孩子每6到9个月就会长大,鞋子就穿不下了。
Teenagers usually grow every year.
青少年通常每年都会长大。
Shoe prices are hard to stabilize in the short term.
鞋子价格短期内很难稳定下来。
Because tariffs and the Iran war make oil product prices higher.
因为关税政策和伊朗战争让石油产品的价格变高了。
Shoes are very important to children. They show their social position.
鞋子对孩子们来说很重要,代表他们的社会地位。
Wearing the wrong shoes may get them bullied by other kids.
穿错鞋子可能会被别的孩子欺负。
The school district leader in Chelsea, Massachusetts is Almi Guajardo Abeyta.
马萨诸塞州切尔西市的学区总监叫Almi Guajardo Abeyta。
She says that broken or ill-fitting shoes are one sign of a child's poverty. They are also a very clear sign.
她说,鞋子破了或者不合脚,是孩子贫穷最明显的标志之一。
There is a food service worker in Boston named Lucila Castillo.
波士顿有一位食品服务工人,名字叫Lucila Castillo。
She says she earns about 700 dollars each week.
她说,她每周收入大约700美元。
After paying rent, not much money is left.
付完房租后,剩下的钱不多。
She cannot meet her daughter's request to buy shoes.
她不能满足女儿买鞋的要求。
As shoe prices go up, buyers have become more picky.
随着鞋子价格上涨,买东西的人变得更挑剔了。
Stores that sell used goods also say customers are more interested. They want to buy slightly worn back-to-school shoes.
卖二手货的商店也说,顾客对买稍微穿过的返校鞋更感兴趣了。