Customers as Salespeople

About a week ago, I was glued to my computer, clicking the refresh button on my web browser over and over again. What causes this kind of silly behavior? Something known in the world of nerds as a "Woot Off". I've written in the past about my favorite on-line shopping site, Woot.com.

What makes Woot special is that they only sell one item at a time on their web site. As I write this, they are offering a universal remote control for sale. This item will remain for sale until they either sell out, or until they list their next item at 12 Midnight Central Time. This policy of "One day, one item", however, changes once in a blue moon to a mode called a "Woot Off". During a "Woot Off”, they sell limited quantities of items at great prices, and as soon as one is sold out, they list another for sale. When their allotment of computer video cards sold out in five minutes, they listed a backlight keyboard that sold out in seven minutes, followed by other rapid sellouts.

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