Avoid Human Contact More than half of consumers who shop online buy more than they would at a store, according to US-based Boston Consulting. And by 2002 global online retail trading will be worth US$700 billion. Supermarkets also reduce consumers' interaction with other human beings. Traditionally, homemade Japanese ramen (broth with meat and noodles) was sold directly from vendors' carts on the streets of Tokyo. "There are convenience stores everywhere now," says Hitoshi Tachibana, one of Tokyo's few remaining ramen vendors, "so people buy more ready-made food and instant ramen." Fast-food outlets and vending machines also are competitors, yet Hitoshi is optimistic that his customers will stand by him. "We talk, get to know each other, and I become part of the neighborhood. There's something in humans that demands communication on a one-to-one level, and franchise fast-food restaurants don't offer that." What do they offer that Hitoshi doesn't? "Unlike me, they're open on rainy nights."

MasterCard sewing thimble, Bejing, China

Americans get 1.3 billion letters yearly inviting them to sign up for a credit card. The average person spends five full days of his life at an automatic bank machine.

Crend Toothpaste,
Teheran Iran

In Iran, name-brand products are banned but copied. With Slight Modification. Crest toothpaste, by Procter & Gamble, becomes Crend, by Iran-Based Dr. Hamidi Cosmetics company.