Bob, unfortunately, in this case we need contexts as there are multiple websites managed by this install and each uses the product system.
jisaac: There are a number of ways to accomplish what you are looking for using Contexts. I have entire sites utilizing Contexts in different ways, so that I can share resources between them, if necessary. In many cases, the solution is likely to require several custom snippets depending upon your need. Some of the work may already be provided for you via Contextualize in the MODX Extras. It allows resources to be defined as cross-context resources and does so by utilizing a template. It may not solve your problem, but it has the code so that you can learn to do something similar, if that's what you need.
If you need something a little more specialized, there are a few more addons that can accentuate your needs. Unfortunately, without seeing your system directly, I couldn't tell you what those are. pdoTools is a great start, though.