You might have noticed I’ve taken the time to share more “daily deals,” such as Groupon and Tippr. These sites have become hugely popular – and with good reason. In many instances, you can score 50% or more off of goods and services where the savings may be trickier to come by.
If you had the opportunity to watch my webcast last Monday I talked about deciphering when a deal is a deal (you can still watch the recorded version by the way!). At one point in the webcast, I talked specifically about the importance of reviewing a Groupon-type deal before purchasing.
Last week, I stumbled upon what seemed to be a really HOT deal – pay $16 and get $35 of beauty products. Well, that’s more than half off right? I was so excited I posted the deal right away. Only I took it down 5 minutes later because I hadn’t followed my own advice – reading the fine print. I decided to check on shipping costs, so I went to the site and put an item in my cart to estimate shipping. It was $12 for ONE item.
So here’s the “wacky math”:
Buy $35 worth of items
Less $16 you paid
Plus $12 in shipping
Total spent: $28
Total saved: $7 (20%) 
When I took the time to crunch the numbers, I quickly trashed the post. But I should’ve caught it sooner!
So what questions do I – and should you – ask before purchasing such a deal?
1. Is this something that adds value to my life? Is this something you’ve been really needing, wanting, or can use – or is it pure impulse? Be wary of the ticking clocks on the screen!
2. What can I buy with the voucher? $50 may sound like an awful lot of credit – until you check out the website and realize the cheapest item is $75. Make sure that you can reasonably spend the voucher without paying additional out of pocket OR that it works out to a good savings for you once the voucher will be applied.
3. What kind of store/restaurant/company will the voucher be used for? Check out the reviews of the restaurant you’re considering buying a voucher for – does it look worth it to you? If it’s an online store, how is their stock looking? Do they offer a reasonable selection of items to choose from? Is this a new company – or one that I might have to accept a level of risk in purchasing?
4. SHIPPING. Do not overlook this all-important cost! The best daily deals are the ones that include free shipping – such as this one from Soap.com I mentioned last week. Sometimes the voucher will permit you to redeem part of the credit towards shipping. That’s dandy, but you should still gage how much that shipping is going to eat into your savings.
Oh, and be sure to find a way to keep your vouchers organized. An expired, unused voucher is a sad, sad thing. Don’t let it happen!
I’d love to hear your stories. What have been your favorite Groupon (et al!) offers? Any other tips or tricks you’d like to share?
Photo credit Jakub Krechowicz
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I have found that sometimes the Restaurant.com coupons are not worth it. We purchased a $25 one to our local mexican restaurant. The problem was that we needed to spend $50 not including tax, tip or drinks. I hadn’t read the fine print before I purchased the coupon. We had trouble meeting the minimum & ended up spending the same amount as we normally would have w/o the coupon because our tip was on a $50 tab. Coupon fail!
But, I got the Plum District coupon for Diapers.com the other day. I paid $20 for the coupon, $6 at diapers.com & got free shipping! That was couponing win!
YIKES on the Restaurant.com!! Most of those say you need to spend $35 to redeem. ITA, spending $50 + the tax & tip do not equal a bargain!
Glad you scored the Diapers.com deal – that one went fast.
I’ve had great experience with the Groupon-type deals so far. We have bought 7 so far and I think we’ve been happy because 4 were from businesses with which we were already familiar. I did try a new salon service, which worked out fine. My husband and I each bought one for a car wax/detail service we haven’t redeemed yet from a unfamiliar company. I am hoping this works out well since, obviously, we already paid for it.
My greatest problem with these deals is restraining myself. I always call my husband first to make sure he agrees it is a good deal (I’m sure other readers don’t find that necessary, but I do) and I keep the printed Groupons in my car coupon organizer so they are on hand for a spur-of-the-moment redemption. Ours have all been local businesses; no online purchases yet. I am glad most deals don’t expire for a year.
I’ve used restaurant.com a few times, but only for restaurants we might have visited anyway. I caught myself more than once almost buying one of those $50 minimum purchase ones.
I, too, have trouble restraining myself when I see those Groupon-type deals. So far, I’ve done only a handful, but I’ve been pleased with the results.
BTW, I’ve only recently learned that Restaurant.com may have upped some of the minimum requirements to $50+. This sort of information is helpful to me when considering how/if to promote this offer going forward. So…thanks for your feedback!!
I have a family of 6, and have been using Restaurant.com certificates for a couple years. It works for us since we buy a lot of food….so we love the $25 off. I still try to stick with those restaurants with a $35 min. purchase, however, and sometimes have to order an extra item, which goes home in a doggy bag for lunch the next day. Checking out the menu before purchasing is a good idea to make sure there is food you’ll like. It’s a nice way to try out new restaurants.
The… best deal recently was through Groupon…for Zillow.com ($25 for $50 purchase). I purchased stamps for a wedding gift with the couple’s engagement picture on them. The ‘small’ size stamp was PLENTY big, and the lowest shipping cost worked just fine. What a fun gift to give, at an affordable cost. I’ll bet they don’t get duplicates…but if they do, they can always use stamps?
I have the same complaint about restaurant.com…had to buy way too much food to meet the mimimum!! Won’t buy from them again!
I’m hearing everyone’s complaints today about Restaurant.com loud and clear! While this wasn’t the heart of what I posted about, I certainly appreciate the feedback.
If I get enough complaints about one particular deal, I often decide to stop posting about it.
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