Deal sites save you money — if you act fast

Sticking to a budget is tough, particularly when carrots resembling discounted luxury spa treatments and restaurant deals are dangling in front of you.

If the temptation seems harder than ever to resist, it’s no accident. Bargain sites are rolling out offers so enticing, even the most disciplined are throwing in the towel on occasion. They’ve targeted the folks already prone to hunt for steals, and have come at them unapologetically.

No one’s complaining, though. Atlanta is crowded with best-deal Web sites, and there’s enough demand for everyone. Perhaps the hottest right now, locally and across the country, is Groupon.com, which harnesses collective buying power to drive prices to staggering lows.

Emily Blumenthal, an Atlanta attorney, has taken advantage of the site’s deals at Brite Smile, bought spa massages as gifts, and has gone to hair salons and the symphony. She has jumped on the deal of the day nearly two dozen times, here and while on the road, always struck by the can’t-pass-on-that bug.

“I love a bargain or a good deal,” she confessed. “I’ve gotten a bit addicted since it came here.”

The Chicago-based company debuted in Atlanta this summer with its daily deals sometimes cutting 70 percent off prices at restaurants, and on services and activities. Each day, a merchant’s deal is made available if enough people purchase the deal online. After it reaches a tipping point, the ‘deal is on.’ While a retailer may seek 50 customers to activate the deal, it could end up with hundreds more. The idea was born out of founder Andrew Mason’s involvement in The Point, a community activism and fundraising site with a similar model.

Its primary goal: getting consumers to turn on a dime to catch a hot offer.

“It’s such a great price,” Mason said. “We feature things you were going to do anyway, so there’s not a lot of risk in it. It’s not like you’re buying jewelry, a new car or a bigger television and four or five months later you’re saying, ‘Did I really need to do that?’ Some of the offers are decadent, but now you’re doing it a price you can afford.”

Halfoffdepot.com, another popular savings site, has caught on, now offering a deal of the day in addition to the 50 percent off its regular slate of local cultural attractions, eateries and the like. Atlantahalfoff.com has 50 percent off deals, and a new local addition, Mydailythread.com, is similar to Groupon.com, but has more editorial content and the deal is automatic, but is enhanced with giveaways and bonuses when the deal reaches a specified threshold.

Karina Brown, a high school teacher, always wanted to take dance lessons, but didn’t want to pay so much for them. It took her only minutes to decide to buy when she saw a deal on Groupon.com for two classes at Dance 101. She has also gotten a personal training session and of course, restaurant savings. In all, she’s made 23 purchases.

Deals look like this: Real Chow Baby certificates are $10, with a $25 value. An aromatherapy manicure and pedicure at The Posh Spot was $25 instead of $50. Or Brite Smile’s Laser Hair Removal treatment — only $185, a 79 percent discount. Fifty people needed to buy it to activate the deal; more than 300 actually purchased.

“I’m pretty cheap and I don’t have a lot of money,” said Scott Muir, who works for a career consulting firm. “I like to go out to eat, but I hate spending all the money. This allowed me to try some different places.”

While you have to make an instant purchase, you have up to a year in many instances to use the certificate.

“I’m a total sucker for deals,” Muir said. “It preys upon that, but I’m generally satisfied.”

Have you used any of Atlanta’s discount sites for great deals? Do you think they encourage impulse buying?

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