Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective. • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#171

Post by shellehs » Tue, Jun 14, 2011, 9:35 AM UTC

jrgnsd wrote: post #136

kenjackson wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know one hamburger restaurant chain here in Seattle, the Counter, that is now on the second round of Groupon, and this round they offered two coupons per customer -- so my thought is the first round couldn't have went too poorly. I went in with a Groupon and the experience was first class. Great service. They actually had one guy whose main job was to scan the Groupons. I asked him how things were businesswise with…

So at the end of the day, it's not a Groupon promotion that will draw you back, but the great service...

he went there because Groupon. then came the chance of drawing him back.

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#172

Post by burgerbrain » Tue, Jun 14, 2011, 6:33 PM UTC

aquark wrote: post #79

burgerbrain wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tip because that's how my society operates. I tip well ^ because it means I get above-par service. ^well is relative to what they expect, so this is where the quality of the restaurant is factored in by myself.

Do you tip before the meal then, or is this based on being a repeat customer?

Repeat customer.

I generally only eat at small family owned joints anyway, so that helps as well.

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#173

Post by biftek » Wed, Jun 15, 2011, 7:45 AM UTC

This has nothing to do with tipping. Groupon is a flawed business model.

Consumers who are willing to pay $ for something are not going to be repeat customers who will then pay $$$ for the same thing.

It's a modified pyramid scheme, the only people that benefit are consumers and Groupon it self, even though they are losing money out of their asses.

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#174

Post by witmol » Wed, Jun 15, 2011, 8:33 AM UTC

The best quote I heard was from Jon Beros, who is the general manager of Scoopon (which is the leading Groupon equivalent in Australia): "You need to make sure they’re treated like a first class customer, not a second class coupon holder."

A friend of mine who owns a beauty salon says Scoopon worked with her to ensure they have capacity to serve the customers they're predicted to get.

P.S: The reason I don't usually tip (in Australia) > we have a minimum wage for wait staff that, on Sundays and public holidays at least, is often higher than my hourly rate on a professional salary.

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#175

Post by Hisoka » Fri, Jun 17, 2011, 5:07 PM UTC

kelnos wrote: post #149

glenngillen wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I took the same Groupon deal with a similar outcome (although we stated from the outset we had a voucher so no awkwardness about stuff we'd have to pay extra for). That said: * This is in London, which doesn't have the same "tipping culture" as the US. Sure hospitality jobs don't pay great, but both my wife and I have worked them in the UK and you can definitely get by without tips. Getting snippy about a drop in tip…

Because of their attitude I won't be back, that's the cost for making an assumption about me as a customer. That's the rub, really. I find it hard to blame Groupon themselves for stuff like this (though certainly Groupon has other aspects that are complaint-worthy). If you're going to treat customers poorly because they've taken advantage of a deal, I don't really want to be your customer. And if it's such a bad deal…

The people who determine whether to do a Groupon most of the time are not the waiters and service ppl who have to put up with horrible tips.

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#176

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jun 18, 2011, 1:51 AM UTC

c0riander wrote: post #84

jeromec wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

wait staff in the US make around $2-3/hour. they aren't paid a living wage. Not true. That's why we have federal minimum wage laws. If the wait staff are actually employed and not acting as independent contractors, then they are paid the minimum wage for their state. (Although I will grant that this being a living wage is definitely arguable.) Edit: Correction - although not California (my state), apparently some sta…

"Tipped workers" are paid under different rules, and it varies state by state. They typically have a minimum cash wage ($2.13 federally and in NY for example) and an hourly "tip credit" ($5.12 fed/in NY) to bring them up to standard "minimum wage" ($7.25). They only get paid $2.13 an hour by their employer. More here: http://www.paywizard.org/main/Minimumwageandovertime/Minimum...

[deleted]

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#177

Post by David » Sat, Jun 18, 2011, 5:48 AM UTC

qq66 wrote: post #168

jamesaguilar wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find etiquette fascinating, so I've read some books on it. Particularly, in tipping etiquette, prescriptive books seem to agree about one thing: In the US, if you're going to tip less than 15%, you should not tip at all. You should leave nothing and ask to speak with a manager to explain why you won't. If the failure in service doesn't rise to that level, then 15% is the minimum polite tip. Of course, it's your wal…

18.5%? I live here in CA and have always done 15 but feel recently being forced into 20... but I could never calculate 18.5% in my head =)

You can do it pretty easily by successive halving. 10%, just move the decimal over add 5% which is just half of 10% add 2.5%, which is half of 5% and add 1%, moving the decimal over twice

...of course you either naturally think that way or it seems like an unreasonable amount of work. YMMV.

Personally, I usually take 15% and add a bit depending on how good the service was.

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#178

Post by mrchess » Sat, Jun 18, 2011, 6:04 AM UTC

Same experience for me -- twice in two settings.

1) I used a Groupon at a korean restaurant in Cambridge, MA. When I went with my friend the waitress was delighted, but once I mentioned the Groupon her enthusiasm completely faded and she became much more rude.

2) I used another restaurant Groupon at a pizza place on Newbury St. in Boston, MA. Ordered the pizza but once I pulled out the Groupon she had a sour look.

I don't understand why these friggin' business do Groupon if they are just going to assholes. Argh, just reminiscing and writing about these experiences pisses me off.

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#179

Post by tomfro » Sat, Jun 18, 2011, 5:57 PM UTC

While I think groupon can be very useful for some business model, especially ones where you can control bookings and cross/up sell. I think groupon is going to be hurt when the economy becomes bullish because fewer businesses will be desperate for sales. I think livingsocial has a better longterm future because of its better terms for businesses.

Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.

#180

Post by kelnos » Mon, Jun 20, 2011, 10:58 PM UTC

Hisoka wrote: post #175

kelnos wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because of their attitude I won't be back, that's the cost for making an assumption about me as a customer. That's the rub, really. I find it hard to blame Groupon themselves for stuff like this (though certainly Groupon has other aspects that are complaint-worthy). If you're going to treat customers poorly because they've taken advantage of a deal, I don't really want to be your customer. And if it's such a bad deal…

The people who determine whether to do a Groupon most of the time are not the waiters and service ppl who have to put up with horrible tips.

True, but the waiters and staff are the public face of your restaurant. The owner/manager doesn't get involved in every meal they serve. If you suspect your staff will get cranky with Groupon customers, you need to fix that. I don't care if that means firing the worst offenders and making it clear that you won't tolerate such behavior, or if it means ahead of time declaring that you're going to "fix up" bad tippers behind the scenes by supplementing with the restaurant's cash. It really doesn't matter to me how they resolve the situation, but the owner of the restaurant is responsible for giving his/her customers the best experience possible.