Katy Hallowell
Reporter
Most adventures within San Francisco aren’t cheap — they come with hefty price tags that inhibit a number of potential customers from actually partaking in them. With a plethora of activities to enjoy in San Francisco, the 2-year-old website, Groupon (http://www.groupon.com), offers users discounted admissions and products in dozens of U.S. cities and worldwide.
With no account activation fee, the site lists one new deal daily per participating city. The Deal of the Day is advertised once via e-mail with included suggestions for similar products, avoiding flooding users’ inboxes. Merchandise continuously circulating on and off the website, with Featured Deal sale items available for 24 hours. Older deals are archived and appear when users select goods of a similar variety.
Andrew Mason founded the company two years ago and has since turned it into a multi-billion dollar empire, with an approximate 35 million users. The company recently rejected a reported $6 billion offer that would have given Google ownership of the company.
With the superfluous range of products available, users can filter Featured Deal notifications with personalization settings on their accounts. Deals range from treatments at hotel spas to indoor skydiving to flying lessons, with each Groupon deal averaging half of market value. An airplane flying lesson normally priced at $349 session can be up for grabs for as little as $179.
Globe-trotting users can easily update to their current location in dozens of cities, providing less expensive ways to discover a city. Tourists in San Francisco can take advantage deep discounts on renting Go Cars or buying double-decker tour bus tickets. The ever-changing stock of items can be as appealing to locals as well as tourists.
“I live outside of San Francisco, and didn’t really know anything fun besides basics like shopping to do when I came in,” senior Samantha Whittles said. “I joined Groupons without really knowing much about it, but I’ve found more interesting stuff to spend my time on in the city because of it.”
Members can receive a $10 credit on the site per invite for friends who then make a purchase within 72 hours.
