Should Groupon sell cars?

The daily deals site offers its first-ever coupon for a car, prompting an outcry: Would Groupon be wiser to stick to spa and restaurant discounts?

Should Groupon sell cars?
(Image credit: Juice Images/CORBIS)

Groupon typically crowds users' email in-boxes with deals on massages and local restaurants, but this week, it dramatically upped the ante, offering members a discount on... a car! On Tuesday, Detroit Groupon users had the chance to buy a $199 coupon good for $500 off the purchase or lease of a new or used vehicle from LaFontaine Auto dealership. Should Groupon offer up more deals on big-ticket items, or stick to spas and spaghetti?

Cars aren't what Groupon customers want: Groupon's 80-million-plus users didn't sign up for cars, says Nicholas Jackson at The Atlantic. The company achieved its meteoric rise by offering clear-cut deals on eyebrow waxing and staples like groceries, not vague discounts on cars. If Groupon drifts away from offering deals that enough people can actually use, we're all likely to start deleting its emails. As for me, "I'll just sign up for Living Social, thanks."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us