The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday, May 27, edition that inflation has been eating into Canadians' buying power for the past two years, causing people to shop more at discount grocery stores, or make the switch to private-label products over name brands. The Globe's Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes that in the past two weeks, retailers including Target, Home Depot and Canadian Tire have all noted that customers are pulling back on discretionary purchases. It is not just about higher prices. Fears of a recession are creating caution and dampening spending on non-essential goods, as are higher interest rates for people who hold mortgages and other loans. Last week, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. warned that Canada's household debt has surged to the highest level of any Group of Seven country. NielsenIQ's Carman Allison says, "Consumers are almost at this breaking point." In April, NielsenIQ surveyed about 10,000 Canadian households and found that, while the country is not technically in a recession, 53 per cent of respondents think we are already there. As well, they do not anticipate relief any time soon: 55 per cent believe it will last for more than a year, hardly a soft landing.