A wonderful phenomenon has taken place, and its name is Groupon. In a time, where everyone is looking for the best deal, the sweetest opportunity and wanting to get the most out of their dollar; Groupon has stepped in to be our savior. Groupon (aka Groupon.com) is an online ‘coupon type’ site that features daily (Monday – Saturday) deals all across the world (They recently acquired a similar site based in the UK and are now able to broadcast worldwide). Groupon which is headquartered in Chicago
I am a huge fan of Groupon if you couldn’t tell, so much so that I have recently been elevated to the prestige elite level having over 2000 points (more on the point system later). I buy at least four a week depending on the deals and necessity (but mainly my desire to splurge). A great deal could be a $20 Groupon to your favorite Indian restaurant to enjoy $50 worth of food; or $35 for $80 worth of spa treatments at the local luxury day spa and yes I’ve even seen $150 for a two night stay at a five star boutique hotel including champagne and breakfast. Seriously does it really get any better?
Imagine if everything we needed could be handled with a Groupon? We’d all be gazillionaires! Ok, maybe that’s pushing it a bit. As great as Groupons are, they aren’t great for everything. Come on now, I have to give it to you real, the good and the not so good. I would easily say 90% of the businesses that advertise on Groupon are fantastic and have gone above and beyond out their way to accommodate and give you the best deal possible. The other 10% well, if you were to get one might put a bad taste in your mouth. Like anything that can sometimes seem too-good-to-be-true it’s best to check out the business before buying the service. In most cases you’ll have 24 hours to purchase the Groupon before the deal ends, leaving you plenty of time to check menus, reviews, customer feedback and maybe even do a drive-by to confirm the location. Even though you’re being offered a great deal (usually 40-70% savings) you still don’t want to buy something you know you’ll never use. Returns are a pain in the butt and with Groupon if you’re lucky you’ll only get a credit back to use on another purchase.
Oh yeah so the point system! The point system is great – basically each day you sign in to your account just to view the Groupon (not even buy one) you get (1) one point. If you purchase the Groupon you receive 50 points but if you’re one of the first few to purchase a Groupon when it first goes live you receive 150 points! The points add up and for every 100 you get a free $1 – these dollars are as good as cash and be put toward future Groupon buys.
Can you see why Groupon is so fantastic? Because of the success of Groupon it has of course spun many knock-offs, just like any great Louis Vuitton bag or Alexander McQueen dress, there’s always someone who has their version of it. Don’t be fooled! Check the site out and really see what they are offering. There is only ONE Groupon and so far it can not be duplicated.
Much success on your Groupon adventure, may you be blessed with many great deals, fantastic buys and thousands of points to convert! Pass it on.
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