Generically delicious

Oh my God, Becky, look at her cardboard box ... it is so big. I mean it's like out there. She looks like one of those Aldi shoppers." \nAt Aldi Grocery stores, a discount grocery store, you collect boxes from the aisles to put your grocery items in, instead of plastic bags. It's a pretty competitive thing, so you have to be quick, but it isn't exactly luxurious. \nThe inexpensive, no-name brand products on Aldi shelves are awesome if you want to save money. But some people discriminate against this inexpensive way of shopping.\nI have friends who squirm, make ugly faces and say, "My mom told me to never shop there or eat their food" and "Aldi is gross." \nAldi is considered a poor man's grocery store by a lot of people, mostly rich people. Wealthy people claim they don't want to go to Aldi because it's "dirty." But while it might seem like they're talking about the orange and brown motif, they probably mean the type of people who shop there. There's this stereotype that only "dirty, low class" people shop at budget or bulk grocery stores. This is why rich people usually avoid discount grocery stores. I have nothing against rich people; I love them, but I think it's silly that there is discrimination against poor people. \nOddly enough, shopping at discount stores like Aldi is becoming a big trend.\nWhen I went into Aldi a couple of weeks ago, half the store was packed with college students. The stereotypical "poor" people were non-existent. \nAccording to Business Week Online, Aldi stores in Germany consistently have parking lots filled with Benzes and BMWs. Changes like that could start happening in the United States as well; the rich are starting to realize how cool it is to save money. \nOprah has. In an episode of her show, Oprah went grocery shopping at Costco. She bought cheap, and she bought in bulk. And just as with everything she does, Oprah started a discount shopping trend. \nNow rich people have a new, fun thing to do: discount shop. It's not really a lifestyle change but more of a temporarily entertaining hobby, like camping. It's like they dress down in their "middle-class gear" and take the family shoppin'. \nAt one time, buying at discount was not cool; instead, showing off your wealth was the thing to do. People did this by sporting brand names on their shirts like they were name tags. It was mad cool to have "Tommy Hilfiger" or "CK" across your chest. It was a way of showing off class status. \nBut it's not that cool anymore. I'm seeing more and more people wearing shirts that say random things like "Jake's Surf Shop." More people are shopping at Goodwill because it's cool to look low class. \nNow, it's very fashionable to dress poor, eat poor and, on occasion, act poor -- not to actually be poor. But when this fad dies out, the poor people will still be poor, and rich people will continue to distance themselves from the lower-class lifestyle. \nJust because rich people are shopping with middle class and poor people doesn't mean the gap between the classes is getting smaller. All this is doing is making it more obvious because the people who actually have to shop at discount grocery stores such as Aldi feel insulted that rich people are just doing it as part of a trend. \nSo if you want to join this trend of shabby-chic shopping, don't be intimidated when you have to pay for a shopping cart at your local Aldi. And don't worry; you'll get your quarter back when you leave. I'm sure you won't need it, though.