I'm wondering if this is normal if the rims on my department store bicycle seem to shed bits of aluminium into the brake pads then scratch them all up. I clean the brake pads, wipe the rims then it starts all over again if I brake a little hard at the bottom of a hill.

I know someone here once wrote about specific problem someone had here saying he shouldn't spend all his time cleaning his rims, brake pads. That's not what I'm doing, I only take out the bits of aluminium where they start scratching the rims. But, my specific question is, is it the QUALITY of lack thereof that is causing this problem.