What are these Coupons and Groupons?

In this blog, I will frequently refer to Restaurant.com coupons and Groupons. This blog is not a promotion for either of these companies. I'm just a fan of these discount programs and think I might be able to provide a service by reviewing restaurants and service providers that participate in them.

Here's how Restaurant.com works -- technically, you buy a $10 restaurant-specific coupon that will give you $25 off a $35 purchase at that restaurant. But there are almost always discounts that range from 60% off to, occasionally, 90% off. Once you sign up you'll receive emails giving you the discount code for the current offer. When I see that coupons are 90% off that's when I pick up a whole bunch. They are good for one year from the date of purchase. Sometimes I overbuy and have coupons that expire unused, but certainly the savings outweigh the cost of unused certificates. In some sad cases, restaurants go out of business or stop participating in the program before the coupons expire, and in that case customer service promptly provides a refund. Some restaurants have $50, $75 or $100 coupons, requiring a larger minimum purchase and which are better for a larger crowd.

Groupon.com is a daily discount email that offers discounts on a variety of local products and experiences. These range from restaurants to adult education classes to professionally published photo books. For example, yesterday after the Dance Parade in New York's East Village, my two friends and I used Groupons to get $7 worth of Asian-Italian fusion dumplings for $3 and last weekend my boyfriend and I went to a $25 class on homemade pizza making and wine pairings for $12.50 per person. A whole group of us enjoyed a sunset harbor sail on a classic wooden boat, that included an open bar, for half price last year.