I’ll admit that I subscribe to both Groupon and Living Social. I mean, I’m all for getting a deal when I need a deal, but four years of living frugally have taught me this: not every deal is a deal is a deal.
The Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs agrees, arguing that most people who click on the Groupon or Living Social deal in their inbox are doing so because they “want” what is offered, not because they “need” it.
So what would qualify a “need”? Well, I’ve seen these daily deals related to doctors and dentists. If you’re in the market for a new practitioner, then getting that first visit at a discount seems to make a lot of sense.
However, recent deals on Groupon in my area have all focused on either what I would describe as “wants” (deep conditioning for your hair, Zumba class) or deals that don’t apply to my lifestyle (discounted kiddie gym classes; my kids are teenagers). Living Social isn’t much better (more kiddie gym classes), but two recent deals did have me thinking that they were worth buying up.
One such deal that gave me pause was discounted museum admission–always good in my book to get some culture, especially when you can do it for less (though I’ll be investigating free museum admission opportunities when shooting video for my “frugal in New York” ideas this month). The other deal was $200 off a new mattress. Well, considering it’s been about a decade since I bought a new mattress–and you should really replace your mattress every 7 or so years–this one seemed timely and practical versus impulsive.
I’ve yet to buy a daily deal coupon from either Groupon or Living Social, but I’m sure sooner or later I will. What about you? What great deals (or duds) did you get via Groupon, Living Social, or another daily deal service?
READ LEAH ON HOME GOES STRONG
I’ve gotten some great deals for things I was planning to purchase anyway, like the LivingSocial deal recently for $10 for $50 worth of Vistaprint merchandise. I already had some blog promotional items in my shopping cart (and they weren’t the free items Vistaprint so frequently advertises). Saved a bunch there. Also got a Snapfish photo book from Groupon for $10, which I also already had in my shopping cart. It was a present to a family member celebrating a wedding. I saved $10 on that. I did an Amazon.com deal through LivingSocial – $10 bought $20 in credit. I’m always buying through Amazon, and there was no expiration date, so it was basically a $10 off coupon. And the Groupon Barnes & Noble one was great too $10 for $20 in credit. My daughter had been wanting a new book, and she had to buy it with her own money. She paid for the Groupon and was able to buy it for half price.
We got a good deal on a membership to the American Natural History Museum – while we might not have bought it normally, we know we’re going to use it over the next year (and pretty much got our money’s worth on the first visit). Check this out for your trip to NYC – visiting the American Natural History Museum with kids: http://bit.ly/mJXATu
The thing with the group buying sites is that you really have to look at the restrictions – they often come with expiration dates. And you need to stay on top of them. They definitely are not all deals, especially with the explosion of sites offering them. Now it seems many of them are just advertising and clutter.
I get the emails, but I haven’t bought anything yet. I keep looking for something that I need or would use.
I don’t go to spas, for example. I would have been tempted to split a spa day with a friend, but ended up not doing it. If it’s a restaurant that I’m not interested in? Big deal.
And we’ve had the same mattress since 1994. It’s still in pretty good condition.
I think some people are susceptible to the “deal”, some people (like my one friend and me), and not very susceptible to the “deal” at all, and some people use them very judiciously (like my boss’s wife). They like to eat at fine restaurants a few times a year, and groupon totally saves them money on that.
Debbie:
Sounds like you’ve gotten great “needs” from Groupon and Living Social. Good for you.
Leah
I have gotten great deals from Groupon. The local bread store had $20 gift cards for $5 and groupon allowed up to 15 to be purchased to use for a whole year. Took my kids and their cousins on a whale watch for half price–we saw dozens of whales and the kids all LOVED it. Retailers I use have been featured; I got the Barnes and Noble and Amazon deals, too….and Bath and Body Works and Gap as well. At first I was too eager to get the restaurant deals; now I only buy them if I am sure we’ll be able to use them.
I basically use the deals from merchants I already patronize and for entertainment deals to treat our family of five to something fun for half the regular price.
Marie:
That’s an excellent way to approach things. Now if a logo designer would just come through on Groupon or Living Social, then I could take advantage of a “need.”
I’m signed up with Groupon, and I have gotten several good deals – mostly for restaurants, but we’ve gotten a couple of activity ones. It’s nice if we get one for a place we like to go anyway, since they’re often about 50% off, but what I’ve really enjoyed is the opportunity to try some new places that I may not have spent the money to try otherwise. We’ve discovered some places we really like, but at a discount!
One thing I would note, though, is that if you use a Groupon for a restaurant, you should still plan on tipping the server with cash. They do the same amount of work, regardless of what kind of discount you got for the meal, and you want to make sure they get tipped. So, add that in to the cost when you’re deciding if it will be a good deal for you.
I didn’t buy any Groupons for ages although I got the emails. Then one day, they had an offer for a restaurant near my workplace for half-off, and I went for it. I’ve also used Groupon to buy ticktets to my friend’s improv company (I’d be going there anyway) and for a month pass to a yoga studio — hopefully knowing that I’ve got the Groupon will make me go.
But so many of the offers just don’t apply to me, or don’t seem useful.
We recently bought a Groupon for an event that we weren’t going to able to attend.
Rather than let it go to waste, I listed the Groupon on Craigslist. I picked up the tickets myself before the event and had the buyer come over to get them.
A little more work than just not buying the Groupon, but not a total loss.
While some of the deals may seem like impulsive buys, if you are buying for other people, they ending up saving you a lot of money. For example, (if you’re a good person) you are probably already buying birthday, mother’s day, father’s day, graduation gifts, housewarming gifts etc. for both family and friends. In using groupon and livingsocial deals for things like that, you end up saving money because no matter what, you are going to have to by at least something for these events. That is primarily what I use them for.
[...] know I’ve written about being careful about impulse purchases with Groupon and Living Social. And I’ve warned you about reading the fine print on daily [...]