Deal type e-mail lists (Groupon, Living Social, etc) are a new trend that
seems to be expanding day by day. I think they're success definitely has
something to do with the current economic climate. Getting more for
less is appealing now more than ever.
I really like Groupon because it offers the average person luxury
services/items that they either couldn't normally afford, or can't
normally justify spending money on. So far I've gotten self service dog
washing, food at an Indian restaurant and house cleaning services.
Common offers are spa treatments, manicures/pedicures, trips, etc. I enjoy
the ability to do things I might not be able to normally justify doing,
at half the price.
I do wonder how the half-off deal wave is affecting businesses. I'm
sure the hope is that the exposure of the offer will bring new and
lasting customers, but I don't think things really pan out that way.
What has your experience been with deal-of-the-day type websites? How many are you subscribed to?
Haven't tried one yet? Take 2 minutes and sign up to Groupon.
Cool review! I thought of signing up with Groupon a few times, but never did. I might look into it again though...
ReplyDeleteI think you sacrifice the extra $ you'd pay for time & other "fine print stipulations" with deal sites, no? Like, you'd have to go for your spa treatment on a specific Wednesday, between 9:00 and 1:00, instead of at your own leisure/schedule.
@MerelyMarie- Yea, you have to be careful with the restrictions. Some aren't too bad, but some companies offer for the Groupon is different than their usual full service items. With trips though, they are almost always offered for off days/non-weekends only.
ReplyDeleteI've never used Groupon but I've heard of it. There are a few sites like Groupon out now that I've used a couple of time. Loclly and Eversave. Amazon also has a Groupon type of thing.
ReplyDeleteI get the Groupon emails but I've never actually used one. To me it's like something I don't need being on sale. If you buy it, you're not really saving money; you're spending money you never intended to spend in the first place. That's just my opinion though! They do tend to do some great restaurant deals here in Anchorage. Stopping by from Mingle Monday!
ReplyDelete@Dr. Reginia - Yea, it seems like a lot of places are coming up with groupon type parts of their business.
ReplyDelete@Kristin - Yea, I use it for times when I do feel like spending money on a luxury. You definitely have to be careful, because in most cases you are buying something you wouldn't normally buy!
**hangs head in shame** I belong to sooooo many! Groupon, Living Social, Plum District, Certifikid, Eversave, Savemore, Saveology, Bloomspot, etc. I could go on and on. I get the daily emails, but I don't go overboard with the actual purchases. For restaurants, I always check yelp and with friends for their opinions before purchasing. I only buy good and services that I was already considering. I'm only made one impulse purchase and things worked out wonderfully, but I don't have a habit of that.
ReplyDelete@mrstdj - LOL, you named so many I've never even heard of!! But your using them responsibly though, so that's good!
ReplyDelete