NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, November 2009
Local Businesses Offer Online Coupons and Deals
By Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director;
Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio & TV Show Host

iwilsker@apcug.net
(click to email author)

WEBSITES:
http://dealnews.com
http://dealcoupon.com
http://www.kohls.com
http://dailydeals.target.com
http://www.dealsofamerica.com
http://www.restaurant.com
http://deals.yahoo.com

It is no surprise to any of the readers of this column that we are in the economic doldrums. Many of us had our family incomes decline due to unemployment, reductions in hours, and declining dividends and interest received. Many of our local retailers and restaurants are suffering because of a general decline in sales, which may in turn lead to even more employee cutbacks or layoffs. One may ask what the status of our local restaurants and retail stores has to do with a column on personal technology; the answer is simple. Many of our local businesses have turned to the internet in order to generate additional sales and bring customers into the stores.

I monitor several of the “deal” websites that list continuously updated daily deals from the major retail stores and restaurants. These deals may either be deep discounts on selected items, closeouts and sales, promotions (including rebates), and high value coupons. In many of the cases the deals are available in-store, or available for pickup in the local store. Restaurants, both local and national chains and franchises, often publish a coupon that make the meal more affordable, and gets customers into the restaurant. Either way, the promotions bring customers into the stores that may lead to additional sales.

After I got home on Friday, I turned on my computer, checked my email, and checked the deal sites updates. One of the local big-box home improvement stores, Home Depot, had very limited time online promotion for deeply discounted LED flashlights at 80% off its regular retail price. The item was only available for pickup in the local store, which the computer said had a quantity in inventory. I printed out the offer and on Saturday morning drove to the big-box store where I purchased a quantity of the discounted flashlights; part of my Christmas shopping is now complete. Inevitably, under the influence of “supermarket psychology”, I wandered through the store looking for other items that we did not know that I needed. I would consider that in micro terms, the store considered its online promotion a success as it brought me into the store where I browsed the aisles, and made a purchase.

This trip to the home improvement store was not a unique episode for me, as last week one of the major retail chain stores, Kohl’s, posted on one of the deal websites a 15% coupon good for anything purchased in the store, the coupon being applicable to the entire purchase at checkout, and not one individual item. Dutifully, I was motivated by the coupon that I printed, to drive to the store, and purchase a cart full of clothing, shoes, and gifts. The 15% discount coupon, which was in addition to all other promotions and sale prices, made the merchandise a bargain, which stimulated sales. Again, another local business may prosper, because it posted a coupon online which generated sales.

Many of us enjoy going out to eat, and there are many sources of legitimate coupons online that can be used for free items, discounts on the check, and even as gift certificates. I routinely print out the restaurant coupons if it appears that I may use them, and I also forward the links to friends and family who may use them.

Being specific, there are many websites that list these deals and coupons, in some cases there are aggregators that compile and publish lists, to the businesses themselves that publish the deals. One aggregator website that I check regularly is dealnews.com and its sister site dealcoupon.com. Another website that I monitor is Deals of America (dealsofamerica.com). It is on dealnews.com that I found both the flashlight promotion at Home Depot, and the coupon for Kohl’s. As I type this, Dealnews also has deals on shoes, Craftsman Tools, and dresses at Sears, and video games at ToysRUs. Other deals available in local stores, which will likely have expired by the time you read this and have been replaced with other deals, are a deep discount on cell phones at Verizon, camcorders and iPhone gift cards at BestBuy. Other local stores that have been listed in the past few days were Walmart, Kohl’s, CVS, Walgreens, Lowes, Office Depot, and others. My experience at Lowes was typical, as an “internet only” price was listed on Dealnews for a folding aluminum ladder, which must be picked up in-store. I checked the Lowes website, verified that that model was in stock, and placed the order online; the next day I went to the store and noticed at the customer service counter a sign that said “Internet Order Pickup”. I handed the clerk a printout of my order, and my ladder was brought to the front of the store for me. Being nosey, I wandered back to the ladder display and found that my internet price was about 30% less than if I would have bought that exact ladder directly in the store. Still, Lowes was successful that it brought me into the store where the transaction was completed, and a sale was made for the store. While not universal, almost all of the local stores listed offer free in store pickup, with no shipping charges.

Another way of patronizing local stores by taking advantage of online promotions is the “daily deal” which several of them offer. A daily deal is when one or a few deeply discounted items are offered for only one day (and while quantities last), and may often be picked up in the local store. In my experience, most of the local stores will honor the prices of their own online specials if purchased in store and presented with a printout of the special price. Two of the local stores that I monitor for daily deals are Target and Kohls. Target offers a daily email as well as a website with the deals (dailydeals.target.com), and Kohl’s often has a link on its main webpage for its “Deal of the Day”. Mostly these items are at least 50% off, and sometimes more.

Restaurants also need our fiscal help, and they sometimes oblige by publishing coupons or offering deeply discounted gift certificates. While websites such as Dealnews often publish links to restaurant coupons, there are also specialty websites that sell deeply discounted gift certificates. While only a few local restaurants are currently listed, there are gift certificates available for thousands of restaurants around the country. While I have used some of these gift certificates in locally owned restaurants, I also use them extensively when traveling. As I type this, another consolidator deal site, Deals of America (dealsofamerica.com) is listing gift certificates from another website, restaurant.com. Today’s deal is a $25 gift certificate for only $2 (normally $10), and a $10 gift certificate for only 80 cents (normally $4). These gift certificates are very restaurant specific, and can be printed immediately after purchase. I have used the $10 gift certificates several times at a particular local restaurant adjacent to the mall, which brought others and me into the restaurant, generating additional business. Regrettably, that particular restaurant no longer participates in the gift certificate program. The deal sites usually have restaurant.com gift certificates for at least 50% off (a $25 gift certificate, normally $10, for $5) and sometimes up to 80% off. Restaurant.com also offers an email service by subscription where it announces current discounts on its gift certificates. Restaurant.com is a BBB accredited business, and I have never had a problem with them or with their gift certificates.

These are but a very few of the many competitor websites where local businesses promote their goods and services. One that can be easily configured to display local coupons for both goods and services is Yahoo!’s deal site at deals.yahoo.com. I have used coupons from this website for local purchases including tires, oil changes, groceries, restaurants, and other goods and services.

I am proud to support local businesses, but not too proud to use their coupons and shop for bargains from them. That is a win-win situation for both the customer and the business. By monitoring some of the local deal websites, and subscribing to daily deals either by email or by RSS feed, one can support local businesses and save a lot of money at the same time.

Click here to return to top



==================================================================