Deal Us In

Remember when the only way to find out about a ‘friends-and-family’ deal was through a friend or family member? When the secret of a good sample sale was passed on from one pal to another like a precious gem?

Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, those days are over. Even the least connected of us can have easy access to the scoop on all kinds of bargains through group-buying and deal-listing websites.

So here’s the deal on deals these days:

Group-buying websites are all the rage. Offering daily deals on things like restaurant meals, event tickets and beauty treatments, you join the site and then watch daily for deals. If you like one, you can sign up to buy it—if a pre-determined number of people sign up as well, you get your deal. The original US-based player, Groupon.com, currently offers deals for Vancouver and Toronto. There is also a made-in-Canada company, Teambuy.ca, which offers a daily deal of 50–90% off local finds in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax (so far). And Canada’s original and biggest deal directory, RedFlagDeals.com, has a group-buying ‘Deal of the Day’ program in nine different cities. 

US-based Livingsocial.com has deals in Vancouver and Toronto with their daily deals of up to 90% off on restaurants. What’s different about this site is that after you buy the deal (no minimum number of buyers required), you get a unique link to share with your friends—if three of them buy the deal, then you get your deal for free (shades of a Tupperware party, but it definitely works!).

However fun the group-buying phenomenon is, we’re busy moms with no time to wait and see if our deal came through. So we’re more partial to the simpler format of the deal-listing sites. Bargainmoose.ca is a Canadian deals blog and creation of a self-professed shopaholic. Each time you visit, you find a round-up of deals currently available across Canada. Some of them are in-store specials (like a student-only 25% off everything at Old Navy that was not widely advertised) and others apply to online shopping—all of them are worth knowing about.

We’re also fond of motherofadeal.com as a great resource for family-focused deals, including listings for sample sales, coupons, and outlet stores. Bringing the best of the daily-deal sites together with a bit more simplicity, Fabfind.com is a player with no group-buying requirements, yet 50% or more off some great deals every day. With a daily giveaway to one member and a points program, it offers some extra fun features as well.

Montreal-based Beyondtherack.com brings all the thrill of the sample sale without leaving your desk. Working with various fashion houses and designers, they are able to offer top name brands at up to 90% off through special, short-term online sales, but you need to shop fast because the items are limited and never last long.

And if you’re looking for an online personal shopper to scour the web so you can find out when your favourite brands (did we say J. Crew?) go on sale in your size, sign up for a ShopItToMe.com ‘salemail’, a personalized alert featuring all the stuff you love (kids’ brands, too) in the sizes you need. The site uses leading-edge technology to monitor websites (over 200 retailers and 700 brands), categorize information and match people with the deals they want to know about.

But remember, before you start shopping, be sure to heed our mother’s words of wisdom: “A bargain sometimes is something you can’t use at a price you can’t resist”.