Groupon offers unbeatable deals

Students know the importance of getting a good deal.

The popular website Groupon offers customers discounts at restaurants, retailers and service providers in over 45 countries.

But Groupon is not just giving customers great deals — the company is also giving something important to the participating businesses.

The company prides itself on being able to increase revenue and lower costs of a business that advertises on their website.

With more than 650,000 local businesses on their platform, Groupon believes it has built the world’s largest local marketplace.

For Robert Roskind, the owner of Oasis, a cafe and gathering place in Carr Mill Mall, Groupon has meant nothing but success for his business.

“Even if only several hundred get the Groupon, it goes out to tens of thousands, maybe a hundred thousand people,” Roskind said.

He said he has been using Groupon ever since he opened two years ago, and it helps customers actually find his business.

“I’m hidden back in Carr Mill Mall, and it gets people to come all the way over to come check it out,” Roskind said. “Groupon has been the best and my only form of advertising.”

His Groupon for Oasis offers 50 percent off of cafe drinks and food.

Craig McDavid, co-owner of Tom+Chee in Carrboro, said his advertisement was very effective on Groupon’s website.

“I didn’t think it would be as effective as it was. We sold over 1,400,” McDavid said. “That side of it was fairly impressive.”

He said since he’s only been open for a few months, it was a great way to get his product into people’s mouths — even from other areas such as Mebane, Fayetteville and Goldsboro.

“It spreads awareness really well,” he said. “It’s sort of like going out and giving samples.”

Zamir Brown, a senior at UNC, said he thinks students should definitely use Groupon more frequently.

“It’s the best way to get a new experience,” Brown said. “We’re all experience chasers, so the best way to do that without spending a lot of money, in my opinion, is to use Groupon.”

He said he bought a Groupon for a martial arts studio a while ago, and he still currently attends classes.

With her newly opened restaurant, Cafe Symmetry, Cindy McMahan said she has been thinking about advertising on Groupon.

“I told them to let us get our feet on the ground for about a month first,” McMahan said. “But if I wanted to do that, students always enjoy deals.”

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