Getting Started
How do “group buy” sites work?
Group buy sites, like Groupon and LivingSocial, tap into group buying power to offer major discounts from local brick-and-mortar businesses, as well as online retailers.
The deal site makes an arrangement with a company that says something like this- “If we can get X number of people to buy a deal from you in a short period of time, you’ll give all of them X discount.” For example, Groupon might say that 20 people need to buy a deal within 24 hours before it’s “on”. If enough people commit to buying the deal before the time limit on the deal runs out, everyone who committed gets the bargain. If not enough people commit to buy, no one gets the deal and your credit card isn’t charged.
How do I navigate the Groupon deals you post each day?
The Groupon deals posted on Groupon Girl each day are “national” offers, meaning you can buy and use them no matter where you live in the United States. (Canadians- Many of these online retailers will ship to Canada as well. Just check out the fine print and shipping policies on their websites.) Most of these national offers are for online stores. Even if an online deal is posted on Groupon under Chicago and you live in San Diego, you can still buy it and use it (unless the fine print states otherwise).
Each daily Groupon post tells you a bit about every national deal available, and which city it’s listed under on Groupon. In order to get more information about a specific deal or to purchase, just click on the city to the right of the deal you’re interested in.
(If you want to get the local Groupon deals for your city, you can sign up here.)
Does Groupon give you these deals to post?
Nope, we go through each and every U.S. city listed on Groupon each morning to find these bargains. Tedious and time-consuming, but it saves you lots of time!
Any tips for maximizing your savings through Groupon Girl?
Only buy what you need! It’s easy to get caught up in the deep discounts and buy deals that you don’t really need or can’t use. Buy what you need, and remember to use the voucher before it expires!
What’s a “flash sale” site?
These are sites that offer product, rather than vouchers, at deeply discounted prices. Basically, a short-term sales events. Some examples: Rue La La, Zulily, Ideeli, and The Foundary.
What are some of your other favorite deal/group buy sites besides Groupon?
My favorites are constantly changing as new sites emerge, but some of my current favorites are:
LivingSocial
Rue La La
Gaggle of Chicks
Totsy
Mamasource
Plum District
Zulily
But there are lots of others that offer different specialties- like deals on travel, green products, or wine, or that offer local deals in different cities. You can see a huge list of great sites here.
Is there a way I can receive your daily blog updates?
You can have the daily deals sent right to your email or a feed reader, or follow updates on Facebook.
Finding all the deals shared on Groupon Girl must take so long. Do you do all this yourself?
Nope, I have an awesome team, including two wonderful assistants and my (also wonderful) husband, who help make this happen.
Where can I find the boring legal stuff behind Groupon Girl?
Here you go:
Privacy policy
Disclosure statement
Disclaimer statement
This page may contain an affiliate link. See my disclosure policy for more details.
