What is YOUR definition of the class system in western societies?

I've been debating this with a friend who thinks he is middle-class but I disagree. In fact, I often meet people who call themselves 'middle-class' but the way I see it, they are just a working-class consumer.

Personally, I've always defined the 3 classes as follows:
LOWER CLASS: Anyone who has an employer who has to go to work each day
MIDDLE CLASS: Small business owners/Entrepreneurs who employ other people
UPPER CLASS: Anyone who doesn't need to earn a wage

I think consumerism and our debt based economy has confused a lot of people about the class they are in. In today's day and age, you could have an iPhone, a new car, and a nice wardrobe and STILL be working-class.

I personally define the class system a bit more in depth.

Upper-Upper-Billionares
Upper-Mid-Millionares
Upper-Lower-Doctors, Lawyers

Middle-upper: Lower end Doctors, Lawyers
Middle-Middle- Teachers, Cops etc
Middle-Lower-Jobs that are somewhat low in salary but still higher than minimum wage

Working class-Farmers, factory workers

I know in my sociology class they have your definiton plus Working class, Poor class and then the growing under-class.

Poor class-Are people who are usually have 2-3 jobs to make ends meet
Under-class-People who struggle day after day to find food and are pratically homeless.

Its just inflation, there has been always dips in economies in every few decades. Just this one was as big as the Great Depression. But honestly we're out of it, I live in NYC. Ernest and Young, NYU and other places that generate lots of money haven't spend this much money in years. We're doing fine, but obviously on par in comparison to a few decades ago.

There are nearly as many typologies of social class as there are scholars who've studied the topic. Many stratification models employ more then three classes. One popular one uses seven. Another uses six. If we think of social stratification as involving both caste and class, the class part of such systems is characterized by a greater amount of potential or actual mobility then is the caste part. In the US The best single predictor of where you'll end up in the class hierarchy is the position of your parents/family. There's actually relatively little mobility.upward or downward. The specific criteria used to identify ones class position is rather arbitrary. It may be best to think of the ranking and reward systems that constitute social stratification as a continuum rather then a series of distinct categories. The higher the rank the greater the amount of rewards of authority [power]; wealth; and prestige awarded to an individual. My point is that the class/status system is more complex then your question suggests. Regards.

It's relative.