Do you love the email discount powerhouse known as Groupon? Who cares if it’s apparently worth much more than the $6 billion Google offered for it? All you know is you sign up one day and local deals come a pourin’ down your e-pipe the next.

Sometimes I Can’t Be Bothered with Groupon

I admit, I’ve not been paying attention to all the daily deals as well as I should. I even sometimes stare at a deal I want, but because I’m checking my email in between bites of fast food with the one thumb that doesn’t have guacamole on it, I’m in no position to pull the trigger. I make a mental note to come back and do it, but invariably that cerebral Post-it falls off the cognitive mirror.

Luckily, My Wife Can Be

My wife, however, was eagle-eyed and hawk hungry last week. She spied a Groupon offer for a local sushi restaurant. Yes, we’d gone there before and might not have needed too much coaxing to eventually go again, but half-off is half-off. No sooner had the ink dried on her printed discount confirmation than we were on our way and seated. I sometimes wonder if the high cost of ink blows the coupon’s savings…

They Certainly Crossed the “t” in Discount

With the restaurant offering a half price deal and Groupon taking a considerable portion of the online fees collected, the sushi and staff had to be spot on. And they were! As many times as we’ve eaten there, we agreed this was the best tasting, most well presented occasion. The sushi was awesome. And because we were playing with house money, I even stepped up and ordered a steak that made two people weep – me because it was so delicious, and the chef because it went out for free.

But Didn’t Dot the “i” in Sushi

So what’s to complain about when the staff is super-friendly, the sushi sublime and the steak so stubbornly succulent? Just one thing: they never asked for my email. I’m sorry, but I have to let this shouting out… WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? WE OBVIOUSLY ARE PEOPLE WHO RESPOND TO EMAILS – THAT’S HOW WE GOT THAT GROUPON IN THE FIRST PLACE. I REALLY WOULD SIGN UP FOR YOUR LIST.

How Can You Complain with a Mouth Full of Crunchy Roll?

In all fairness, that Groupon had the place swamped. But it really looked like they went out of their way to make the promotion sparkle. I never felt so loved. If my hands weren’t full of raw fish, I’d have high-fived every employee on the way out. At least we remembered to do the right thing when you get a discount – tip well on the full amount of the original pre-discount check.

They Might Be “Off the Hook” After All

I just thought of something. Groupon obviously has our email addresses. Maybe we opted-in to receive email marketing directly from the merchant as part of the deal. I certainly hope so. I can’t stand the thought of them doing all that work and missing out on reeling us in regularly.