The avalanche of deal-a-day websites, including Philadelphia Media Network's Dealyo and Philly Daily Deals, has created an army of addicts who can't seem to resist the lure of a discount. With typical offers of goods and services marked down 50 percent or more and the economy taking a toll on people's leisure budgets, millions have caught the digital discount fever. Groupon users alone total 83 million worldwide. "We want Groupon to be an addiction you can feel good about," the company website reads.
Kate Adams of the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia runs with the addiction. Having purchased about 150 Groupons since she signed up in early 2010 - an inexpensive way to try new restaurants - Adams eats out a few times each week. "My friends make fun of me," she says. "But they benefit from it."
Consider Groupon-aholics the online cousins of Sam's Club or BJ's devotees - people who go weak in the knees for a reduced-price 18-pack of Grey Poupon. They may not need the products, but how can they pass up such a deal?
"It's a progressive disease," says Chung, who recently imposed an embargo on buying haircuts and massages.
Yet with that kind of enthusiasm often comes a backlog of deals. It's not uncommon for Chung to encounter scheduling conflicts - say, double-booking a massage and a reflexology appointment for the same afternoon - and it can be challenging to use her discounts before they expire, which often happens months after the purchase date. In fact, between 10 and 20 percent of all discounts purchased from Groupon go unused, the company says.
