In addition to the cost advantages (travel companies often purchase tickets in bulk and can pass along savings) a tour company may employ area experts that know the best places to sleep and eat.

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Hence the popularity of college fraternities and sororities, where older students often purchase alcohol in bulk for parties and share it with younger members of the society.

BBC: Why fake ID is an American rite of passage

The premise: Buy up lots of small companies in a fragmented business--such as used cars, funeral homes, office products, food distribution and medical diagnostics--then purchase raw materials in bulk to cut costs.

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Such companies purchase batches of soured loans in bulk, often for pennies on the dollar, and then try to collect.

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Chinese and Japanese aficionados, whom many in the industry consider to be the most fastidious and discerning of watch collectors, purchase the bulk of the auteurist watches.

WSJ: The Changing Face of Watchmaking

Gun shows that require only a brief in-person event with no live-fire training to qualify for a purchase permit, or that allow bulk purchase of weapons disrespect the care and dedication with which most gun owners teach themselves and their children.

CNN: On gun control, two places to start

That for most people the bulk of their wealth is tied up in their home and if they're basing this purchase on information that they basically get, you know, with a few keystrokes on the web, some real estate agents are concerned that people won't be armed with the kind of information and expertise that they really need when they enter the market.

NPR: Web Site Offers One Stop for Real Estate Data