Number Copy Group (chaohaozu) refers to white-collar workers or college students who browse around shops recording serial numbers for items such as cell phones, clothes and cameras, and then search for them online, trying to find a bargain price.
They never buy anything when they go shopping.
Instead, they hunt for what they like and take note of the items' information including their model or serial numbers, sizes and prices.
On returning home, they search online for the same items, seeking the best price. Goods they buy online range from clothes, to bags, books and small household electrical appliances.
Hu Qianru, a first year grad student in international relations at China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing is a typical chaohaozu.
Whenever she goes to the shopping malls, she takes note of the information using her cell phone. "Generally, when I buy them online, I can save 50 percent at most," the 23-year-old student told the Global Times in a telephone interview Tuesday.
"I'm always satisfied with the goods I purchase this way," she said.
"As many people don't buy clothes and shoes after trying them on, the sales staff usually turn a blind eye to chaohaozu."
