Last week I did something I almost never do. I bought a living social deal. I signed up for both Groupon and Living Social a little over a year ago, and after about two weeks of receiving their daily emails, I bowed out. I was sick of receiving a bajillion emails from them for redundant, unexciting offers. You can only get notified of a 50% off spa treatment or manicure offer so many times before you start to go crazy. I’ve unsubscribed and never looked back.
So what was this last deal that was so good, I just had to get it? Meh, it was nothing exciting. Just a 50% off restaurant coupon at a place in Seattle I’ve never heard of or been to. I figured it would be nice to take Girl Ninja out on a sweet date now that I’m back, and no better way to do it then at 50% off regular price. This time, however, after making the purchase, I made sure to “unsubscribe” to email notifications. I don’t want Groupon, Living Social, or any other similar company emailing me every day.
If a Groupon or Living Social deal is truly incredible, I almost always hear about it through other means. Whether it be someone’s Facebook status “Hey I just bought the Nordstrom Rack Groupon” or a text message from someone else that says “Dude, Ninja! Five dollars off frozen yogurt!”, word spreads quick when a unique opportunity arises.
I no longer rely on Groupon or Living Social to tell me about their fantastic deals. I know this means I’ve probably missed a few deals I would have been interested in, but that’s the price I’m willing to pay to not get email spam every morning.
How do you feel about Groupon or Living Social? How many “Daily deals” would you say you buy a year (I’d say 4 for us)? Do you think these businesses are here to stay, or just a temporary fad? Are there any better, less annoying alternatives (I like Woot and Steep and Cheap)?
