I'm probably one of the most frugal shoppers you'll ever find. I check site after site to make sure I'm getting the best bang for my buck. But, for some reason, I cannot seem to get a grip on these social coupon sites. They seem pointless to me. Groupon was one of the first to make way of this new style of bargaining. By selling “coupons” say $100 day at the spa for only $50 to local hot spots whether it be for a restaurant, luxury, or merchandise. Sounds great right? Think again. Personally, the “deal” only seems worthwhile of I was already planning on going to the spa. If not, then in reality, I’m spending an extra $50 that I normally would not have spent. On the other hand, imagine the daily deal is for $50 gift certificate to PacSun (a store I regularly shop at) selling for $25. To me THIS is a DEAL! Since I’m positive I would naturally spend $50 worth of merchandise in one visit. Paying only $25 for $50 are dollars well spent.
Something interesting to note is the growing popularity of not only Groupon, but close rival social coupon site LivingSocial. They are sitting pretty at #18 and #19 in Top Free Apps at the Apple App Store today (as seen in the image provided). Although Groupon is said to have started this wave of coupon buying, LivingSocial seems to be right behind and is forecasted to even surpass Groupon due to its user friendliness and claims on “better deals”. My suggestion: steer away from this coupon buying hustle and invest your money somewhere other than these sporadic purchases.
Be smart.
-Erica
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI too am a frugle shopper but I am also a watchdog shopper one too. I feel the same way when it comes to sporadic purchases on things that I would most likely not spend my money on but I subscribe to both Groupon and Living Social becuase you just never know what you may stumble upon. Although I feel that Living Social offers the best travel deals, Groupon offers great local deals that expose you to whats going on in your area. So although it may seem like a sporadic purchase, buying the deal for your local bar is just helping out your local economy and a cheap dinner for you. I do wish that the deals where tailored more for things like Forever 21 and Steve Madden but it seems like Groupon market is more of the local small business scene rather than huge companies that really don't need Groupon's help.
I understand what you say about spending extra money ,you were not even planning to spend in the first place, just because you found a really good deal. In the other hand, this applications are built to awaken a need recognition in us consumers. Maybe tanning is not in my plans, but finding a very good deal that makes tanning affordable for me can change my mind and encourage me to go to a tanning spa. Groupon offers great deals, specially in local businesses around your area. The deals can be up to 90% off of the original price, for me this is sometimes hard to believe.
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