Ah, the incredible lightness of daily deal making…
It’s one thing to be late to the party. Like a year and a half late. Quite another to stagger out of the starting blocks with a weak-kneed effort. Yet that’s exactly what the Kansas City Star did Monday with the launch of its new Groupon-like, dealsaver.com daily deal.
Affiliated – as once rumored – with Groupon?
"It’s not," says one local daily deal expert. "It’s their own – their own misguided product."
Instead of leading off with a big name, kickass, gotta-have-it deal, the newspaper ginned up a retread with inner city, specialty movie exhibitor Screenland.
"$17 for 2 tickets, 2 soft drinks, 2 large popcorns at Screenland Theatres ($36 value)," it reads.
Sound familiar? It should.
Groupon did the exact same deal four months earlier for less money.
"$16 for Two Movie Tickets, Two Large Popcorns, and Two Large Sodas," reads the Groupon deal.
Worse yet, the Star’s hair removal deal today had ZERO takers around 11 a.m.
Let’s take a gander at the bottom line…
In 24 hours last February, Groupon sold 1,112 Screenland deals. In approaching a day and a half, the Star had 144 sold.
"I wonder how many people the Star has on their email distribution," wonders the source. "Groupon has more than 300,000 names."
With a half dozen or more dealmakers flooding the market, some say the Star is not only late to the party but behind the curve on the direction deals are headed.
As in, the recently announced Groupon Now!
With Groupon Now! buyers enter their location and choose the type of deal they’d like to see. Sushi in downtown Chicago, a three star hotel room off Times Square. Groupon Now! has yet to launch in Kansas City yet but is expected to shortly.
"It’s not going to be so much about daily deals. It’s going to be up to the minute deals. Like if you’re a restaurant that’s half full or doesn’t have hardly any reservations on a Tuesday night, you can sit there and eat it or do a discount deal that will affect your business that night. You don’t have to wait three weeks."
The $64 million question: What will become of the geezer-pleaser Star Card?
uh…they will make millions of dollars
like they always do….wake up silver spoon boy….the economy is starting to rock again…
the business world is waking up……business is starting to shake up and take off again…
okay at ….they made $1100 for a one inch ad that cost trhem nothing….yes nothing…
pretty good..
a smart businessman would recognize that was a good deal for a billion dollar organization.
we’ll take all you whiny old former star people and put you out to pasture because friends…
you’re best days are behind you….all of you….your best days are over…
welcome to what will be poverty for all of you….except those with talent like fat boy and jopo…
now hearne…tell us what you’re doing thats working so well today…NOTHING!
The economy is starting to rock, huh…
You hit your head again, H Man?
hearne is wrong again…
1. top fortune companies reporting biggest profits in years….problem is they’re hoarding the money
and sending it overseas…
2. job market: had conversation with 2 presdients of largest staffing companies in the area…
companies and lotsof them are calling them every day with positions…problem is not the
lack of jobs…lack of adequate candidates is the problem….they are swamped with
job openings…can ‘t fill them. Most companies have become so picky and with all the tests
needed to get a job these days the candidates aren’t making the cut….but the job openings
are there….watch the idicators….and the labor shortgage will get even greater.’
Talkd with tv station general manager…they have 2 slots to fill…can’t find people to fill them…
in 5 years with all the baby boomers retiring (you too hearne and glaze)…there will be a huge
shortage of qualified people to replace them. The government (specifically faa is having problems
replacing retiring controllers)…..other agencies which cut back will have the same problem filling
positions.
3. auto manufacturers are going like gangbusters. Dealers cant’ get enough product to support
the demand. Used car prices have gone upi 33% because of the demand for product. According
to trade magazine….92% of dealers today are making money (thank you president for saving chrysler and
gm)………..
4. stock market…despite a few tough weeks is up dramatically since january 09…..look at it hearne…
the numbers are incredible…….bought a stock for 70 cents…now at $8.45!
5. exports are expanding….see the numbers in the last 60 days…manufacturering is starting to
expand….but again labort shortge is going to hurt them.
6. retail…..fluctuating…but if you are positioned well….you can make money
7. media: radio /tv media reporting strong strong upfront sales…ad dollars are increasing…
ask your buddies…because its on the way up…may still be down from 07 but the movement is
definitely on a upward swing.
Ad dollars means companies are confident about the future.
Insurance companies…huge profits….oil companies – huge proits at expense of the nation…
maybe you’re website is strggling but you have not a decent writer on your staff. It’s completely
gone down hill….just check the comment sections.
8. gdp will rise this year….
more people traveling this year…
in your world, its crashing…because you have nothing really to sell. The 1000 unique visitiors is really
worthless to an adveriser and all you have on are your friends who probably felt sorry for you and your
situation.
Hit the streets….get out…businesses are doing well….went out to dinner in town square saturday and
it was packed…..
many people probably don’t want to work or left the labor force for good and are still conisdered
unemployed….thats not the economy…thats the problem with the stats….
sure its tough for some people out there right now….you’re hurting…glaze is probably hurting…but a lot of
businesses are doing well. I’m not concerned with westport because they dug their own grave…but
heard power and light is on fire and crowds and huge down there….
get out of your comfort zone…come with me someday and I’ll show you the bright spots.
Your whining/your negativity is becoming a constant problem….we will get over the worst recession
in history that was caused by your republican friends…………………and obama will be the man
in 2012 who will lead us for 4 more years…
Housing market still having problems…but that will take time to shake out…still people underwater but
once the market breaks analysts predict housing prices wil go up pretty quickly because the
availablity of homes for sale will be low.
And remember hearne….i think 10,000 boomers a day are retiring…someone has to replace those
workers and where are they going to come from? Answer that question for me…
and more…yes…things still are tough in the economy…but there is light at the end of the tunnel..
you don’t see it because you are just too damn negative in your life.
You know, I love these Harley rants and much as the next guy or girl.
But when he carries it to such a lengthy extreme, even I don’t have the time or interest to read it all of the way thru and see how my spanking turns out.
Craig Glaze is a geezer
Old geezer Glazer