Americans are known for being "kechi" or frugal. We don't like to spend money and often fuss over small change. We seek out the cheapest product before buying it and then return it if we are not completely satisfied.
We always comparison shop. "A penny saved is a penny earned," my mother says.
Americans inherit our frugality from our parents, who kick us out of the house when we turn 18 years old, the legal age for adulthood. You get the feeling that months before your 18th birthday, perhaps even years before, your parents have been calculating the savings of adulthood: Twenty cents a day saved on orange juice, $5 a year saved on shower water, $10 a month saved on electricity to your bedroom.