There are tons of sites out there that provide discounts on items, and offer you the chance to get coupons for a great price. In most cases, you can save 40% to 60% when you buy a daily deal. But it’s important to make sure that you are getting the most of these daily deal sites. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money.
Here's a few quick tips and questions to ask yourself before you hit the purchase key:
1. Check Often — But Don’t Always Take the Deal
You want check regularly so you don't miss the deal on an item you intend to purchase anyway. Sign up for alerts to be sent to your email or create a daily deal check list. We published ours here on the site. Realize, though, that just because it's a good deal, that doesn't mean you should buy it. Check regularly so you don’t miss out, but only get the deals that make sense for your family.
2. Get Something You Would Use Anyway
Make sure you are getting something that you would have bought anyway. If you go out to eat a couple of times a month, it makes sense to get a restaurant daily deal. However, if you weren’t planning on buying a new Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, why spend money just because it's the cheapest it's ever been. Now, you’re just spending money you didn’t intend to spend and you will probably have regret later.
3. Look for Local Deals
Make sure that the deal is close enough to you that you will be able to use it. It sounds silly but if you have to go out of your way to use it chances are that your money will go to waste. If you live in Ogden and the deal you purchased is for Provo theater tickets, unless you have a concrete plan on when you are going to use them it's likely they won't get used at all.
4. Check Closely
When you see a big 50% discount don't get too excited. Before you enter your credit card number always go to the merchant’s website first and see if it really is a good deal. There's been some deals I've seen that are for 50% off a service that I've found a 50% off coupon for right on the company's website. Why pay for a deal up front when you could just print the coupon instead.
5. Check The Entertainment Happenings Book
Did you know that 100's of the deals we see on the deal sites can also be found in the Entertainment book AND in printable or digital format on their website? There are two ways to save with Entertainment.com. You can purchase a book yearly which automatically includes a digital membership, or if you can purchase just a digital membership. Either way it's a great alternative to going on deal site overload.
6. Check Out the Service Record of the Company
Recently I saw what appeared to be a great car maintenance deal, oil change, brake check etc. A closer look at the company on the Better Business Bureau revealed this company had a D rating and multiple complaints. That deal is no deal.
7. Organize
Just like grocery coupons this is important. It’s easy to forget what you have and many people let them expire. In fact, the company counts on it. Print the coupons right away, even the online deals, and put them in the order they expire. Then keep them where you won't forget them.
8. Don't stock-up
Avoid the temptation of buy too many deals. This is especially tempting with Restaurant deals. By all means if your favorite restaurant or a new place you've been wanting to try is on the list buy the deal, it may not be available later. However, keep in mind that there is ALWAYS a restaurant offer and many can be printed right on the spot. Instead of stocking up, a day or two before you eat out check your favorite deal site for recent restaurant offers. Use your restaurant offers right away. Don't think because the coupon doesn't expire for a year you have the year to use it. I purchased a coupon for a very popular restaurant not to long ago that I was saving for the right time and was notified by the selling deal site that the restaurant would no longer accept it. Now the deal site did give me a refund but, keep in mind if the restaurant goes out of business your great deal just became a great big waste of money.
9. Buy with Friends
If you have a plan to do something with someone else, you are more likely to use your daily deal coupon. Make plans to enjoy your great deal with someone else. Set a date when you will go to the spa with your mom, sister or friend. Then get the deal together. You’ll use it together, and be more likely to get your money’s worth and have some fun doing it. A side benefit to this is that many deal sites also have referral programs. Sometimes your deal will end up free when you refer a couple of your friends. Split the cost and the deal just got better.
10. Book in advance
Most deals are valid for 6 months to a year. A lot of times, when you want to use the coupon and call the merchant, everything is fully booked. Remember these merchants have regular customers as well as all the other new customers that purchased the deal. They are not just sitting there waiting for your call. I actually made a call to a Park City Bed & Breakfast that was running a daily deal to find out about black out dates. The owner asked me NOT to put the offer on our website because they were already overbooked from the deal site and were having difficulty satisfying their regular customers. The deal was clearly more than they counted on. Plan & book in advance, book right after your purchase if you can.
Are you a deal site user? What are your thoughts and tips, please share them in the comment section. Hopefully, this will help some of you avoid the Daily Deal buyers remorse.
Happy Deal Finding 😀
Updated from it's original posting in May 2010.
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