Have you discovered Groupons?

Something we certainly underutilize these days is our collective buying power.  Oh, sure, we have our Costco memberships that let us buy massive amounts of toilet paper and toothpaste in bulk, but the product selection at the big warehouse stores isn’t something we have any real input into, and something that’s never included are services.  Imagine having collective buying power to radically reduce the prices on entertainment, beauty, organic grocery delivery.

If that sounds like an unattainable fantasy, you clearly have not stumbled upon Groupon.com yet.

Barely a year old–the first groupons got their start in November 2008–the collective power-buyers boast more than 1.2 million groupons sold, and more than $63 million total dollars saved.  Now, that’s my kind of power.

Here’s how it works:

• Each day, Groupon features an unbeatable deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in your city. By promising businesses a minimum number of customers, we get discounts you won’t find anywhere else. We call it “collective buying power!”
• Just click “BUY” before the offer ends at midnight. If the minimum number of people sign up, we’ll charge your card and send you a link to print your Groupon. If not enough people join, no one gets it (and you won’t be charged).

So what kind of group deals can you expect to find at Groupon.com?  Well, today’s deal for LA is a mani-pedi at a top salon for $35, half off the usual price (plus 10 percent off any purchases you make at the salon).  Pretty nifty–and so far around 800 Angelinos have snapped up today’s deal.

Recent deals have included half off the price of organic produce delivery from Spud.com; 2 one-hour rock climbing classes, two days of rock climbing, and equipment rental, all for $60; $40 worth of food and cocktails for $20 at a local restaurant–and so on.

Groupon offers daily deals in more almost 50 cities now, so there’s bound to be a good deal near you.  They also offer deals available nationwide for online products and services, so you’ll find more than just local goodies if you check in at their site every day.  There’s no obligation unless you sign up for a specific daily deal–but do sign up for their email list so you can be alerted to new daily deals; it’d be a shame to miss out on one you could use.