# My name is JohnT and I'm... I'm... I'm a Groupon junkie **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 23, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322 "2011-09-23T13:18:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/21 "2011-09-24T14:17:02Z")
> [@Toucanna](#): > > Which wing place? I love wings. Is the Brazilian place, “Fogo de Chão”? Hubby & I love that place! The Brazilian place was _Texas De Brazil_, down on Houston St. The wing place is _Wing Station_ on Culebra and Tetzel. The Groupon isn’t exactly as I described it (literary license and all that), but if you’re interested, there’s still 14 hours left to buy, from the time of this post. The variant I bought was $11 for $24 worth of food. Other current (to be redeemed) Groupons in my list… _Nosh_, on Austin Hwy in Terrell Heights: $7 for $14 meal for two. (There’s still 1 day, 14 hours left to buy on this one) 2 more _Red Robin’s_ ($7 for $14 worth of food, must be redeemed during lunch) _Silo Elevated Cuisine and Bar_, $20 for $40 worth of food. If I go Sunday through Thursday, we also get a $15 gift card for _Nosh_ (above), so it really is $20 for $55 worth of food. _Marble Slab Creamery_: $5 for $10 worth of ice cream @ La Cantera (I have two of these). Last week I used a $20 for $45 food and games for _Game Stop Pizza_. Honestly, next time I do such a thing, I’ll just go to _Dave 'n Buster’s_, thank you. Pizza was OK, games were rather lame, not very many of them (about $20) and expensive - my 9yo ran through the $25 card in about 15 minutes, playing a bunch of prize-giveaways @ $1 each. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/22 "2011-09-24T16:48:56Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > I love them, but I always worry that the server will think I’m a cheapskate who won’t tip on the full bill. Which couldn’t be further from the truth, I always tip generously because it’s a sunk cost by the time I use it and feels like free food. Has anyone had any weird experiences with servers? Nope. I don’t worry about that at all, and I’ve never had a server eye the Groupon with distaste, and if they did, I wouldn’t care - it’s not up to them how I spend my money. (We do tip on what would have been the full amount.) > [@](#): > > I learned only to get Groupons for places we know we like or that are nearby. Nothing worse than the pressure of a Groupon expiring in a week to a place across town we’ve never been before. I like going to new places with Groupons, but I do limit the locations. We have a Groupon right now that is at a location that I didn’t realize it was, and we’ll have to go out of our way to use that one. Ptooey. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/23 "2011-09-24T16:55:52Z")
How does it work? Do you pay groupon, or just print their coupons? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/24 "2011-09-24T17:26:10Z")
You get an email in your inbox letting you know about the current deals. You go to Groupon’s website to check out the details, then you purchase the Groupon with your credit card if you’re interested. You then print out the Groupon and present it when you want to redeem it. You can also use them with an iPhone rather than printing them out, but I don’t have an iPhone so I can’t tell you about that. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/25 "2011-09-26T15:35:16Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I just signed up for Groupon but haven’t gotten anything on it yet. However, I had signed up for Living Social a while ago and so far have picked up a $20 Amazon gift card for $10, half-price deals for a massage, house cleaning (which I have to remember to schedule sometime next month), rug cleaning, and a $20 coupon for Whole Foods (which will just about make it worth shopping there). Speaking of Amazon, they’ve launched their own version of this, called Amazon Local or something like that. I’m kicking myself for not jumping on the Whole Foods deal, we don’t shop there all that often but at Thanksgiving time, we definitely make a trip or three there. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/26 "2011-09-26T17:03:03Z")
Groupon has a very generous refund policy. If you contact them and say that you can’t take the Samurai lessons or travel to the out-of-the-way restaurant, they will refund you. I do find it difficult to keep up with all of the similar deal sites and I kind of wonder when we’ll reach the crest of that bubble. In the meantime, though, I have coupons for 2 different restaurants and some rock-climbing classes. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/27 "2011-10-11T14:06:30Z")
Sigh… If only they would stop giving restaurant deals! The latest one to snare me: $27 for $60 of food at a [local Italian place](http://www.ciaofoodandwine.com/index.aspx). You just know this place is Fancy-with-a-capital-F because they don’t offer pepperoni as a pizza topping. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/28 "2011-10-11T16:44:59Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > The last straw was when I came home and my husband had purchased us Samurai classes when I was 5 months pregnant. I know this isn’t helpful but from an outsider’s standpoint it was absolutely hilarious :p. I loved them in the beginning and was on the waiting list for my city (so I was there from its inception) but lately the offers have all been for massages and teeth whiteners and supershitty restaurants. Blerg. ---
**Author:** ![tomboy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tomboy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomboy64)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/29 "2011-10-11T22:12:27Z")
morning from sunny australia. we have groupons here too (work the same way as they do in the states) I’ve picked up a few of them now. food - good (as long as its a place you really really want to go, not something you’re taking because its a bargain). food is food. the waiter knows you have a coupon but the chef usually doesnt so the quality will be the same as full price. hair cuts etc - bad. you’ll usually get a junior doing the job. ask my daughter who ended up with fire engine red hair instead of mahogany brown. activities/sports - good. theyre usually start up places trying to get some word of mouth publicity. hotels - ok. remember that you will be at the end of the list as far as room choice etc - thats fair enough though as full paying guests should get priority. there are usually lots of strings attached as well so read the fine print in regards to cancellations, block out dates etc ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/30 "2011-10-11T22:23:33Z")
I love the grocery ones, ive got $20 to spend at Fresh Farms and $30 af Chicago Meat Market. Each was 50% off hard to beat and no coupon clipping. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322/31 "2011-10-11T22:34:53Z")
Conceptually, it’s great. The reality is… at least for Southern California, it sucks. And it’s not just Groupon. Living Social, LATimes Deals, dealfind, they all blow. In the 4 months or so since I signed up I’ve purchased one item - 2 movie tickets for $4. Everything else is crap I have no use for… botox injections, spa treatments, salon treatments, yoga classes, microderm abrasions. Restaurant coupons are maybe once a week, if that. And then, maybe once a month the restaurant is close enough to be worth the trip. Let’s open up today’s mailbox, shall we… [ul] [li]1 month of Pilates (Living Social) - nope[/li][li]A 1 hour hot air balloon flight (LA TImes) - ok that could be fun[/li][li]Indian food (amazon local) - yummm- oh wait, it’s 20 miles away. I’ll spend more on gas getting there than I’ll save[/li][li]Highlights for my hair (Groupon) - pass[/li][/ul] Of course, it’s a free service so I can’t complain. I just treat most of the offers like spam as I browse for the occasionally nugget in the dross. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-name-is-johnt-and-im-im-im-a-groupon-junkie/597322.md?page=1)