Am I the only one who doesn't get this whole deal phenomenon? Maybe it's because I am in a small town or something, but I do not get it at all.
I think it may well be, or just that you're a systems person that has other things to do when your bored than to buy things (or perhaps have less time or inclination to try to find a deal on something you don't have an opportunity to get, at least at that price) .... but you make me think of an important aspect of this, is that I believe this sort of group buying (albeit independently organized) I remember hearing about as a prominent, and even mostly rural phenomenon in China. Can anyone speak to this or compare and contrast?
Hmm, possibly. These deal sites (Groupon especially) have always been pitched to me as a way to find out about deals at places you don't go often. For me, I know all of the small shops (that's all our town really has, our ban on drive-thrus really stops the chains from coming in) and I know which ones I like. I visit often enough, so when they are having sales or events, I know they are going down because the cashier told me last week, or I saw it on a sign as I biked to work. Do you have any links explaining the "group buying" in china you are talking about?