Social Buying Sites: How to Get All Offers in One E-Mail

I’m a sucker for a good deal. That’s why when I discovered the social buying site Groupona little less than a year ago, I was hooked. Everyday, I’ve looked forward to seeing its e-mail appear in my inbox, and several times I participated in some really great offers (hello $125 Newbury Street, Boston spa package for $50!). And so when I started researching other social buying sites for my latest story, “Coupons, 2.0: Ten Social Buying Sites That Add Up to Savings,”  needless to say, I immediately added myself to a number of those mailing lists.

But when I woke up the next morning and checked my inbox, I immediately regretted it.

Seven more e-mails, in addition to all the other junk I receive on a daily basis. More clutter. More wasted time sifting through e-mails. Then I received a message from Jason Kalish, an online advertising marketer, pointing me to the site he co-founded: LocalOfferLounge.com. (What’s that? Did the angels just start singing?)

Local Offer Lounge launched this month—and not a moment too late, if you ask me, as social buying sites are taking advantage of the lousy economy and popping up everywhere. The site aggregates all the daily deals from these sites and sorts them by city.

When you visit the site, choose your city from the menu on the right. Forty-three major U.S. cities are currently available, in addition to Toronto and London. This brings you to a page that categorizes the deals of the day (and the “side deals” that many sites are also offering) by “beauty and spas,” “clothing and accessories,” “food and drink” and “sports and recreation.” And the best part: You can sign up to receive one e-mail with all the deals of the day.

An excellent solution for an issue that more people will encounter as social buying continues to gain momentum. That’s one site I’ll be using.