Comments on The Less Than Domestic Goddess: Cutting Back on Online Deal Sites

I've been reaching exactly the same conclusion...

2012-01-31T17:37:12.059-08:00

I've been reaching exactly the same conclusion, for exactly the same reasons. One of my bigger problems is that I spread the love among FAR too many sites, and then can never even remember what I bought from whom, much less the expiration dates. But it's a hard addiction to break!

I personally am a fan of Groupon...but I don't...

2012-01-30T09:19:17.659-08:00

I personally am a fan of Groupon...but I don't end up buying too many of the deals! Some of our favorite spots pop up on occasion, so we take advantage of those kinds of deals. Also - our local meat market does a $15 for $30 of food deal every few months (actually, it just came up again TODAY!)...and you better believe I end up buying those!

We have, however, bought a few for restaurants we haven't tried before...and I agree: it is harder to get in to use those when it's an unknown/untested location! But, if there are good reviews, we go for it!

im actually a sales rep for livingsocial in tacoma...

2012-01-29T17:04:04.476-08:00

im actually a sales rep for livingsocial in tacoma wa. when i started the job 14 months ago i bought almost every deal i sold. I'm down to usually one or two purchases per month. Being in the industry, we're not the right fit for every business, but the majority of merchants end up using us multiple times per year because it was such a good experience for them.

We don't purchase much of these deals because ...

2012-01-28T19:32:17.593-08:00

We don't purchase much of these deals because we're trying to cut back financially as a whole, but the ones we have purchased were worth it. However, BECAUSE we are so discriminate about what we purchase, we only go for the really good ones and/or ones we know we'll be using in the near future.

That being said, I too have been put off by many of these sites because of the crazy number of emails, in addition to the fact that many small businesses that participate in these deals have come forth to confess that the deals do not help bring in new clientele, and that they have actually hurt them financially.

I use Groupons. When I first got to WA, it was a g...

2012-01-28T17:47:41.424-08:00

I use Groupons. When I first got to WA, it was a great way to try new places. But there were many I didn't get to use because I didn't realize how far away they were from my new hometown (EVERYTHING is about 30 minutes one way! And that's a LONG way to drive for ice cream, so it's no longer a "deal"). Another hang up we ran into is the expiration date thing - with Sean's ever changing Navy schedule, we'd buy a "2 for 1" and wouldn't be able to use it due to his work schedule. Now is a great example - he's on his 15th straight day of work, and another week will go by before he "might" get 1 day off. He's working nights now, so going out to dinner is impossible. We could go out to lunch, but he's just so tired because his shifts either end at midnight, or at 3am. So going out for breakfast means he's working off of 4 or less hours of sleep for a very LONG day.

Another hitch we ran into were "reservations". Groupon usually states that you should make a reservation first. But many companies who know they are going under will say they don't have any openings (or they are at crazy times) for folks with Groupons. Afterall - they don't care if you USE the groupon. They already have your $$$. It's like buying a giftcard for a company that goes out of business.

I haven't found anything in LivingSocial that is less than an hour away. Expedia offers short term access to Entertainment book coupons, and those are GREAT! You pay $10 (and if you go through Ebates, you get $1 of that back, and you can earn Expedia loyalty rewards) for access to the online Entertainment book. Coupons are good for 14 days from the day you print them, and you can look through the book for different cities and get deals while traveling too. That one actually made sense for me, since I could control printing out the coupon until I KNEW my sailor's schedule. (well, in theory that would work, but I'll save that for another blog...)

Way to cut down your discressionary spending! We found that by splitting when we go out (even glasses of wine) we save a TON and get to taste a few different things. Feels like a me intimate experience.

I know what you mean. I've also noticed that ...

2012-01-28T14:26:13.715-08:00

I know what you mean. I've also noticed that the deals in the last 6 months are not as good as they were before then. The sites are so popular now. Hubs and I always end up spending way more than we had if we never had a coupon. We've slowed our roll on purchasing too. I'm not a fan of other people purchasing us "discounts". If the discount is for the "whole thing" than that makes more sense.