Yesterday I took the plunge and purchased my first Groupon, a $40 Groupon to Ma Soba, and only paid $20 for it. To use the Groupon, I must spend $40 dining inside the restaurant before January 31, 2010, and tax and gratuity are not included. No word on whether it includes drinks AND food, but I’m guessing it does not. Also, I can also only use one per Ma Soba visit, but could have purchased multiple Groupons. Sounds easy, right?
Now you might be asking, what exactly is a Groupon? Groupon is a website – www.groupon.com – and it uses the theory of collective buying power to deliver sweet deals to consumers. Each Groupon has a minimum limit of how many people must sign up to purchase the Groupon before the deal can be offered. If there aren’t enough interested buyers, then you are not charged for the Groupon – and you don’t get the deal either.
At present, Groupon only offers one deal per day across many major cities, Boston included. After purchasing a Groupon, you receive an email the next day with instructions on how to print it. It honestly couldn’t be easier. For more frequently asked questions – please take a look at: http://www.groupon.com/faq
While I haven’t cashed in my Groupon yet (I only bought it yesterday!), I plan on testing it out this weekend, and will report back!