Groupon

The article in my previous post talked about a site called Groupon.com. I'm disappointed to say the least.

The way the service is designed makes it just another advertising channel for businesses. Granted, *if* you want the single deal they offer each day, it does appear that you get a good or even great deal. However, there's no way to shop for what *you* the consumer want. You get one offer per day, and no input into what that offer is.

A quick look at some of the recent offers (the linked page will be different for you), shows that they are all the same kinds of "lead generation" offers we're familiar with. The companies who offer deals on Groupon are the kind of companies who want to lure you in with a cheap or free initial offer in the hopes that you'll stick around as a customer paying regular price in the future. Companies like health clubs, spas, restaurants, paint ball parks, etc.

So, nice idea, but I'm not going to opt-in to a targeted advertising site, even if I might occasionally get a good deal. I want a group buying site that helps me buy what I want, not one that tries to get me to buy what advertisers want to push.