Christmas shopping this year, much to the anguish of local merchants, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Finance Minister. Despite the protestations of all three, more and more have taken advantage of special travel packages and the air fare wars to shop 'till they drop. Why do they do it? Is it worth it? Taste joined the Thanksgiving run to Raleigh, North Carolina to find out.

Another wave of the Bermuda Consumer Corps was shipping out. Their mission? Active duty in the malls of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Carrying only light arms -- credit cards and shopping lists -- they wore standard issue battle dress: track suits apparently created from recycled parachutes. Pre-wrinkled and casually cut, they were ideal for all terrains and weather conditions.

Preferred footgear was designer sneakers, thick-soled and white, with treads like Gulf War HMV's (pronounced humvees back then).

Instead of duffel bags they carried large suitcases. Lightweight and pliable, the most they contained was another suitcase and/or an extendable bag, plus a change or two of clothing, and basic toiletries.

When the order to ship out came, the velvet army marched resolutely to the silver bullet which would speed them to the battle zone.

There was little chatter in flight. The wheels of their minds were grinding fine: "If we get to the hotel around 8 and the shops close at 9.30 we'll have an hour's shopping at least...'' With formalities in the pristine Raleigh-Durham airport smoothly completed, they mounted the hotel courtesy bus and sped on their way. In the darkness, thousands of cats' eyes lit the runway to retail heaven. Anticipation was keen. The silence was broken by just one whisper.

"Are you going to shop 'til you drop?'' a woman asked her neighbour. "Oh I certainly plan to,'' she vowed.

There was bad news on arrival at the hotel: it was Thanksgiving. The malls were closed! "Oh my God. I've got withdrawal symptoms already!'' a Pfc (pretty fed-up consumer) moaned.

November 26, however, would more than compensate. The post-Thanksgiving Day sales are America's biggest, and most get off to a near-dawn start. Incredible bargains abound.

Hitting the two-tiered Crabtree Mall was a logical first target. With 200 shops and allied services to conquer, this sprawling complex is a shopper's paradise -- provided one survives the dice with death in crossing the main highway! Everything from jeans to jewels, puppies to portraits-while-you-wait were on offer.

Crabtree contains three multi-storied department stores and bitsy boutiques.

Variety stores, specialty stores, ethnic stores, naughty and nice stores.

Let the assault course begin! It took little time to grasp why locals are making the Raleigh cash registers hum. Apart from the huge variety of goods, and the knowledge that you won't see ten others walking around in the same outfit, there is real value for money.

Of course, this weekend was the icing on an already-attractive cake, but that simply translated to more value for money.

On the day after Thanksgiving, for example, big name, top of-the-line sports shoes could be bought for less than $50, tailored wool blend trousers for $29.99, lined wool blazers for $45, evening palazzo pants for $30, and designer dresses for under $50.

Teddy bears the size of toddlers were under $17, while $6 would buy four children's books and $9.98 a recent best-seller. Classical CDs featuring some of the world's top artists were as little as $8.99.

Selected televisions, microwaves, computers, remote-controlled toys, and more, offered huge savings.

The store, Everything for $1, lived up to its name, making 50-foot rolls of Christmas wrap, spools of metallic ribbon, tree ornaments, toys and toiletries (among hundreds of items available) a steal.

Two-for-one specials; buy-one, get-one-free; three-hour extra-special sales, and other merchandising gimmicks added to the fun of stretching the hard-earned dollar.

Yes, it took time to search the endless racks and shelves, but after as much as 14 hours on the trot, hotel rooms were well filled with the first spoils of victory -- including bicycles and pool tables.

Each evening, Bermudian "lobbyists'' exchanged experiences in the hotel's entrance, compared prices, rested their feet on bar stools, and swopped horror stories about Customs at home.

One woman, whose last night it was, had a face the colour of pea soup. "Girl, I'm so scared I'm sick,'' she said. "Those Customs people's bad, you know. It ain't like the old days. They take all the joy out of a holiday.'' "You're right,'' another chimed in. "They even go through your wallet and search the seat pockets on the plane looking for receipts. And if they find them torn up, they put them back together!'' "They're got some nerve going through your wallet. It's getting like the Gestapo,'' her friend said.

Indeed, as the days passed, we learned that the fear of flying has been eclipsed by the fear of lying. Even the shopkeepers of North Carolina know about the Terrible Ones.

"Oh, I've heard all about your Customs,'' one said. "I don't think I want to go there.'' Of course, there were just as many success stories about how to "lose'' receipts.

Meanwhile, the troops shopped on.

The Cary Mall was newer, brighter and more beautiful. Its marble-floored, one-level concourse split off into gopher- (or, more appropriately, gofer!) approved tunnels of trinkets and treasures.

Trees on the main walkway sparkled with millions of tiny white lights, while white-twigged reindeer with more of the same stood frozen in time. Old jelly belly ho-ho-hoed his way into kids' hearts behind a picket fence, and canned carols added more seduction to the spending process.

More bargains, more bags, more miles and little food. Women shoppers thrive on See Rations! In fact, these sorties are almost male-free. After all, why spend money to park He who Hates Shopping in a hotel room or on a mall wall, only to be harangued after 12-hour tours of duty about "unnecessary'' or "unwise'' expenditures? In fact, it emerged that Leaving Him Home was a major plus on such expeditions.

"I don't care what Dr. Saul says, you can't put a price on this kind of freedom!'' one escapee boasted. "I've got nobody saying: `What do you want that for?', `Take it off, I don't like it', `How much does it cost?' and `Come on, let's go'.'' "You're got that right,'' a mother said. "I've left my three at home with full, written instructions on what they're to wear and what my husband's to do every day. And I told him straight: `Don't you dare take them out of the house unco-ordinated'.'' Unco-ordinated yet! Considering that one of the trio was still awaiting teeth, that was probably the least of the poor man's problems back at HQ.

And then there was the free transportation. Who could put a price on being chauffeured wherever you wanted to go -- to shops, malls, restaurants, downtown, the airport -- and collected again in the hotel's fleet of mini-buses? A service that included assisting you into the van, stowing your shopping in the back, storing it safely in the hotel until you returned, and kiss you good-bye at the airport.

Perhaps bemused by Bermudian spending power, the drivers were even cheerful about sudden midnight runs to the nearby Walmart -- a "must'' on every shopper's list.

The size of two American football fields at least, this consumer's icon stocked everything from antlers for the dog to zoom lenses, and drew Bermudians like bullets to bull's eyes.

We heard that one L/cpl (large cart please, lady) ended her foray at 2.30 a.m., while another accumulated enough spoils to warrant 35 cartons and two mini-vans heading for the airport.

Top of the pops at Walmart were toiletries and OTC's (over-the-counters): toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, cosmetics, band-aids and more were all purchased in quantities sufficient to last a year.

Toys were very popular, especially big ticket items, as were bed spreads, comforters, bicycles, appliances and sports gear.

Low prices in this store generated much discussion among the "lobbyists.'' "You see this big bottle of shampoo? Well, the small size costs $3 more in Bermuda!'' "Yes, and you see this Christmas stocking?'' her friend asked. "Well I just paid $3.99 for it. The self-same thing home was $11! That's just downright greed.'' Greed. The perception was indeed popular.

"Government's got to do something about it. I mean, those merchants are ridiculous.'' "Well, next year, I'm bringing Dr. Saul up here to SEE these prices himself,'' one asserted. "But he'd probably say (and here her voice mimics his) `Yes, but you've also got to add in the air fare, hotel, food and transportation, so you probably haven't saved anything'.'' The consensus response, however, was that such expeditions weren't just about money. They were also about having fun; escaping work, Him and the Kids; and being free to Do Their Thing.

Very important, too, was the way they were treated as customers. For the people of Raleigh, friendliness, courtesy, and first class service are a way of life. Commitment to the customer is total.

Nothing is too much trouble, no request too small or annoying. Clerks will spend hours, if necessary, trying to please and assist. And they don't wait to be greeted first.

Christmas shopping under such circumstances thus becomes a real pleasure instead of a drag. For this reason alone, several novices planned to return next year.

As for this mission, it was an undoubted success. The Corps emerged if not wealthier, then certainly wiser about comparison shopping and getting value for money. Many felt that, until Bermuda improved, such expeditions would become a way of life.

"I'm tired of being ripped off,'' was the most common complaint. "When I see books marked up $10 and $11 over US retail and I know there's no duty on them, and when I see an item here for $39.99 selling in Bermuda for $121, and when I see another item selling that's $45 here selling for $120 in one store and $140 in another, I KNOW I'm being ripped off.'' Certainly, the North Carolinians are in no doubt about our value as customers -- so much so that hotels are apparently planning to offer special rates for Bermudians from next Spring.

Just how determined these shoppers are to continue seeking value for money may be summed up by the woman who said: "My husband's going to divorce me when he finds out what I've spent. But hey, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy!'' NOTHING'S CHANGED -- Two years ago Bermudian spending power in North Carolina was such that the Raleigh News & Observer ran a front page feature on it.

Today, even more Bermudians are flocking to US malls in search of bargains, particularly at Christmastime.