Groupon in Kingston

Groupon: a Chicago-based coupon company has set up shop in Kingston. If you subscribe to Groupon you will get 'the deal of the day' emails letting you know about the hottest deals for you as a consumer in Kingston. Groupon started 2 years ago and has grown so fast that Google recently offered to buy them for 6 billion dollars. Groupon turned them down.

'Groupon Chief Executive Andrew Mason initially created a site called The Point in 2007 that would organize collective action around social or charitable causes. When The Point failed to turn a profit, Mason retooled the site to focus on daily deals for local services. The new idea became Groupon, which launched two years ago.

Earlier this year,(2010) the company rolled out personalized deals, a feature that targets offers to users based on gender, (location) and purchasing history. This program allows Groupon to serve up multiple deals in each market, keeping any single business from being overwhelmed by thousands of new customers. The move also loosens up a crowded queue of local merchants eager to participate in a Groupon promotion, since the company turns down seven businesses for every one that it features.'
from a piece by Melissa Harris and Wailin Wong of Chicago Breaking Business.com

Groupon currently operates in 500 markets in North America; Kingston being one of them.

“Known for its arts, entertainment and higher education, Kingston is an excellent match for the Groupon model,” said Rob Solomon, president and chief operating officer of Groupon. “We look forward to bringing unbeatable deals to Kingston students and residents, while driving new streams of revenue to local merchants.” Business Wire

To be able to take advantage of the discounts which range from 50% - 90% a group of people have to participate. The number is decided by the Kingston company. If you refer friends to Groupon. You get a further ten dollar discount for each friend you refer. The discount can be applied to any offer.

To sign up go to www.groupon.com/Kingston