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Buyers in Bulk
China discovers flash mob shopping:
Last month, Fiona Li did what millions of Chinese shoppers do to find a bargain: she went online.
A few clicks later, she had a lead on where to buy the consumer goodies her brother wanted for his new apartment. Instead of reaching for her credit card, though, she jotted down a time and a place: 8 p.m. at a downtown electronics store.
That evening, Ms. Li and her brother joined 15 strangers at the store to demand a group discount on a new television, refrigerator, and washing machine.
Via Marginal Revolution.
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|5.15.06 @ 12:24PM|#
I was struck by how little savings they were getting. From the examples given, you'd almost think this was organized by the retailers:
Just as conscious as the buyer is in a bargaining culture, the seller is conscious of the exact lowest price he can sell for. The seller has a hard floor and an easy job: it's the buyer who is paying all the costs of coordination and travel in this set up.
|5.15.06 @ 4:03PM|#
I don't know, in a country with a billion people, if I were a retailier I might be seriously worried about people demanding group discounts, if this kind of thing were to catch on.
I think I might try it next time I'm buying so coffee at the local coffeehouse. Just for larfs.
|5.15.06 @ 4:05PM|#
Ya gotta give 'em credit. A's for creativity, originality, and effort.
It doesn't sound like a stable system. It will probably evolve. They're new at this, give 'em time.
|5.15.06 @ 11:08PM|#
Today, flash mob shopping...
Tomorrow, flash mob overthrow of an authoritarian government.