The living standards of the poor in America today are equivalent to the living standards of the middle class 40 years ago, if not the middle class in Europe today.

FORBES: Why Prosperity Is Hip, And Raises Living Standards

The living standards of the poor in America today are equivalent to the living standards of the middle class 35 years ago, if not the middle class in Europe today.

FORBES: Economic Growth, Not Redistribution, Most Benefits The Poor, Working People, And The Middle Class

Today, however, middle-class shoppers around the world are not content to be marooned in mediocrity.

ECONOMIST: The urge to scrimp and splurge