How Can Discount Websites Benefit You?
Ever wonder why the person in front of you in the lunch queue is getting a better deal than you? Or why your friends are swanning off for beauty treatments leaving you puzzled as to how they're affording such luxuries? You might find that when the cheque comes after dinner, they're not putting down credit cards, but small scraps of coloured paper carefully unfolded from their wallets. Rather than carry on reluctantly paying the difference, this article will tell you how to save a packet by cashing in on coupon culture.
The popularity of coupon websites has sky-rocketed. From humble beginnings, sites like Groupon and MyVoucherCodes have attracted huge audiences of scrimpers and savers. In the UK alone, it's estimated by a Neilson study that around 10 million of us are saving with online voucher codes, proving that coupon-cutting is no longer the reserve of the ultra-frugal. At a glance, it might seem that the daily deal on Groupon isn't that fantastic and you don't really want that cut-price beauty treatment but online voucher savings don't begin and end with the seemingly useless. Voucher and Coupon websites could even help you save on your weekly grocery shop. In order to help you navigate the strange world of coupon culture, we've put together a few tips to help you separate the wheat from the chaff.
Groupon
With 36 cities participating in the UK alone, you might think that Groupon will have something to offer you. With daily deals ranging from the useful to the absurd, it really depends on where you are and what you want. At the time of writing, today's daily deal is a "Restorative Package Including Dermalogica Facial, Exfoliating Back Mask and Arbonne Makeover for £27" - A saving of £69.00, this deal already has 143 participants. Whether or not a super scrimper will want a discount beauty treatment on a Monday morning entirely dictates how useful Groupon is person to person.
The structure of Groupon is such that, in a marketing marriage between the service and Groupon, vouchers are sold from Groupon at a discount rate (In the case of today's daily deal, £27.00) and the company selling the product will receive a cut of that price. The amount of people who opt in to this service dictates whether or not the daily deal will go ahead.
DO use this service if you have a bit of extra cash for cut-price beauty treatments or daily trips.
DO NOT use this service for discounts on daily products - they just aren't there.
MyVoucherCodes
As Britain's biggest voucher site, boasting over 2300 discount codes and 77 printed vouchers including big brands like Tesco and Argos, MyVoucherCodes is a better place to head for some consistent and reliable discounts. You can receive downloaded codes and printed vouchers just by signing up without money changing hands. Grabbing a quick offer for Pizza Express, for example, will get you any Main Course for £2 when you buy another one.
DO use this service for every day discounts and printed vouchers
DO NOT use this service for region-specific discounts, day trips or holiday savings.
LivingSocial
A similar concept to Groupon, LivingSocial offers you regional discounts which you must opt in to (at a cost) in order to get an offer going. The difference here is that if you tell your friends about the discount and three more people sign up as a result, your product or service becomes free. Today's deal at the time of writing is for Detoxyourworld.com, a smoothie/natural food/organic snack shop in central Brighton. LivingSocial will give you a £20 voucher to spend in store for the price of £9.
DO use this service to get you and your friends some great discounts on days out
DO NOT use this service if you're on your own and looking for a quick money saver.
These services are growing in popularity and will continue to grow for as long as people accept the offers. With a great range of discounts to be discovered and a reliable way to save money on a daily basis, taking advantage of this new fad can work to keep your bank balance low and make all those coupon snobs green with envy.
About the Author
Sarah McGhee
Sarah McGhee is a financial advisor from the South-East, who regularly blogs about upcoming changes in the banking world.
