“团购”是一种“营销噱头

 　　KAT在北京学汉语，她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教她。今天是吴琼要问的：团购。

　　WQ: KAT, 我这里有一些螃蟹和大虾，你想要么？

　　KAT: Of course! I love sea food!

　　WQ: 去我家拿吧！ 全给你，不要钱！

　　KAT: Wow...Wuqiong, that's really nice of you! Are you sure you don't want them?

　　WQ: 你不知道，这些都是我团购买来的，太多了，吃不了！ 我还有餐券，电影票，健身卡，都是团购来的，好多都快到期了，我又没时间去。对了，“团购”在美语里怎么说呢？

　　“团购”是一种“营销噱头”

　　KAT: It's called "group buying." It is a very popular marketing¹ gimmick² now. A lot of my friends back in the US are just as obsessed³ with group buying as you are!

　　WQ: 呵呵，我的确是个“团购控”！ 不过你刚才说 Group buying is a marketing gimmick, 什么是gimmick？

　　KAT: Gimmick, g-i-m-m-i-c-k, gimmick, 是花招，噱头。I call group buying a gimmick because it's used by retailers⁴ to attract more people to buy products of mediocre⁵ quality and popularity.

　　WQ: 你说得有道理。团购是个促销的花招，一般推出团购的都是小店、新店，团购的东西也不是什么名牌抢手货。I don't think I can ever get a discount on LV purses through group buying.

　　KAT: That's right. In that sense, group buying is just another form of price war.

　　WQ: Price war? 价格战？

　　KAT: 对。People use group buying because they want the discount. They want to buy things at a lower price.

　　WQ: 对，其实这和返券、打折差不多，都是商家在打价格战。不过，我也不傻，等他们把价格升上去了，我就不买了，就去找新的团购货！

　　KAT: Haha, that's exactly how you became a group buying maniac⁶! 好了，说说你今天都学了什么吧！

　　WQ: 第一：团购是group buying;

　　第二：花招，噱头是gimmick;

　　第三：价格战是price war。

1 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

2 gimmick   

n.(为引人注意而搞的)小革新，小发明

参考例句：

• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
• It is just a public relations gimmick.这只不过是一种公关伎俩。

3 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

4 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

5 mediocre   

adj.平常的，普通的

参考例句：

• The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。
• Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。

6 maniac   

n.精神癫狂的人；疯子

参考例句：

• Be careful!That man is driving like a maniac!注意！那个人开车像个疯子一样！
• You were acting like a maniac,and you threatened her with a bomb!你像一个疯子，你用炸弹恐吓她！