GrouponGuru

I stumbled upon this video on the Groupon website last night and had to share.  I love hearing from consumers about their enthusiasm for Groupon, but haven’t had the opportunity to talk to any of the business owners that have used Groupon.  I mentioned the success Groupon provided for Saffron Dance perviously (300 new belly dancers!), but it’s awesome to actually hear first had how much Groupon has helped increase business at the companies in this video.

Do you have a favorite business that you think others are missing out on?  Tell them about Groupon or suggest a business to Groupon.

In an article featured yesterday on Wired, Groupon’s Founder, Andrew Mason, was quoted saying:

“What surprised me was that we got e-mails from people saying it wasn’t just about getting a discount, it was about helping us get out in the city. People said, ‘We go on more dates.’ Groupon was getting people out from the couch and that was a fulfilling purpose. In some ways it’s more impactful than The Point.”

How true this is!  Without Groupon, I would never have tried Belly Dancing!  Over the next week, I will be trying out Let’s Dish!, a new Yoga Class and attending a Magic Show.  Would I have tried these without Groupon? …  Probably not!

For $20 or less, you can buy the following deals today:

Denver: $8 Ticket to the Denver Botanic Gardens Holiday Sale Preview Party ($15 Value)

San Diego: $6 for $15 Worth of Holiday Pies, Sweet Treats, and More at San Diego Desserts

San Francisco: $10 for $20 Worth of Sips, Swills, Pastries, and Small Plates at Epicenter Cafe

Baltimore: $19 for 20 Classes at Brick Bodies and Lynne Brick’s, Less Than $1 a Class

Boston: $20 for $40 Worth of Jewelry and Supplies at Bead & Pearl

Chicago: $20 for a Dozen Cupcakes from Swirlz Cupcakes ($40 Value)

Seattle:  $20 for $40 Worth of Creative Comfort Food at Shadowland

Minneapolis/ St. Paul: $20 for $60 Worth of Custom Photo Books at A&I

Even if you’re on a tight budget…get up off the couch, purchase a $20 deal and experience your city in a way you never otherwise would!

Has anyone used Let’s Dish or something similar?  I missed this deal when it was featured in DC, but was excited to see that it’s featured in Baltimore today (and that it includes the stores closer to DC).   Should I buy the deal?

I recently used my first Groupon and made a classic Groupon-Rookie mistake.

I forgot the Groupon.

I had printed it out weeks before and ran out of the house without it.  After debating whether to go back home, pick it up and wrestle with parking again, my boyfriend, Ted, and I trekked around Dupont Circle looking for a FedEx Kinko’s.  Our first stop was at a FedEx Kinko’s that only ships, but we were redirected around the corner, and successfully printed out the Groupon.

$0.78 later….we had our Groupon and were on our way to Current.

First, if you haven’t checked out Groupon, you should do so now…

Their idea is awesome and the website is incredibly easy to use.  Sign up for the daily Groupon alerts and wake up to a new deal each day.

Throughout this blog, I will purchase Deals on Groupon and try them out.  After each, I will blog about my experience and rate how good of a deal it was.

I’ll do my best to post frequently with either an entry about the deals I’ve tried out or with my pick for the “GrouponGuru Deal of the Day” – the deal I think is the best out of all of cities featured.

Enjoy!