What’s the Deal with Daily Deals?

Budgeting aside, we all relish the experience and satisfaction of getting a good deal. There is the combination of getting more for less, coupled with sweet deal bragging rights. However, with the influx of daily deal offers and websites, the question is raised: Are daily deals too good to be true, or are they a bargain hunter’s dream?

Deals at Your Doorstep

One definite draw for daily deals is that someone else does all the research and then delivers loads of savings right into your inbox. For the frugally minded who also values convenience, daily deals are a great option.

Buy what You Need

A major pitfall of the daily deal is not with the deals themselves, but the type of spending behaviour that could ensue. Having a parade of deals cross your inbox daily brings with it certain temptations. There is a spending confidence that surfaces as well, that could be misguided. It is easy to feel justified in snapping up deal after deal; at such low prices, can you really afford not to buy?

The answer is yes. Before delving into the daily deal world, decide what items are of value to you, and use a need vs. want system. There are tremendous savings to be had, to be sure, but you risk blowing all the savings on items that you don’t need or want, really, lured in by a glitzy price tag. Do a little research as to how much you would expect to pay at full price, so that you can put the deal properly in context.

The very best is when you see one of your favourite businesses or products that you are inclined to patronize anyways cross your screen.

Too Good to be True?

Unfortunately, the retail reality is that, is something appears too good to be true, it often is. The key to navigating the daily deal is always operate with the buyer beware mentality.

Read the fine print, and fully understand the nature of the deal. Sometimes extra charges are levied. Get a full understanding of what is included with your deal, and what may be required as extras. Check expiration dates, cancellation fees, shipping costs and usage restrictions. Shelling out more cash can make the “deal” evaporate in a hurry.

Sometimes daily deals only activate when a certain number of buyers is achieved, so clarify exactly how your deal works.

Understand the Business Proposition

While daily deal sites do vet their businesses, unfortunately, there are retailers that are looking to make a quick buck by benefitting from volume buying.

When purchasing a service, from hair to cleaning to car maintenance, it is worth investigating how long a business has been around and check their history on complaints etc., through sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The internet not only delivers you to these deals, it can provide you with the background information needed to make a solid purchase decision.

If you do run into problems trying to use a voucher, make sure that you notify the daily deal provider. Chances are you are not the only one!

Be Patient

Again, many of these deals operate on volume, so chances are when you are calling to book an appointment to use your voucher, several people are doing the same.

For services that require reservations or appointments, businesses generally block off space to accommodate daily deal customers, spread out over time so that full-paying customers can bring them business as well, so you may have to be prepared to book w