We track the tickers of global auctions. We flock to comparative shopping sites seeking the deal of the century. We sign up for sweepstakes galore and even occasionally invite vendors into our in-boxes to inform us of their latest discounts.
Yep, we are born bargain-hunters. And the Web's e-bazaar has only further honed our natural instincts. Like moths on a summer night, we are drawn to its iridescent lights: Informed purchases! Cheap prices! Convenience!
True trendwatchers already know that on Aisle 10 we have one more blue-light special: group-buying services. Expats are probably familiar with this route. Perhaps your office has been blessed with a den mother who regularly organizes prospective buyers into informal purchasing co-ops that buy from food catalogs like Tengu or the Foreign Buyers' Club. On the whole, the system allows us to circumvent the import emporiums' price-lock. (And the power of intra-office peer pressure shouldn't be ignored: "What? You don't want two dozen honey-nut granola bars at half the price? And no shipping costs? It's a steal.")