

The Education of Groupon CEO Andrew Mason - prs
http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/61362-the-education-of-groupon-ceo-andrew-mason

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agwa
It seems like a mistake for him to have done this interview. The Japanese
restaurant was described in _way_ too much detail, and if he's trying to shed
his goofball image this article doesn't help (just look at the
photographs...). And that overshadows the more interesting and important part
of the article, which is the direction Groupon is moving in.

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pedrolll
It's just a PR trick, telling investors he's taking things seriously and
learning some business 101 in a restaurant. Probably the restaurant doesn't
even exist.

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stfu
That was also the first thing that came into my mind. It is quite a smart
human interest story, showing some humbleness, back to the basics approach,
etc.

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seigenblues
I like him much better after this interview.

That last paragraph seems far more damning of the author than of Mason --
they're so disappointed that he doesn't have any obvious status symbols and
he's riding off on a moped.

Good for him, and shame on them, for equating consumption with success.

(he should really wear a helmet, though!)

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yuhong
"Mason says his hosting gig, which he agreed to discuss on the condition that
the establishment not be named"

Why?

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kanamekun
Probably so people didn't go to the restaurant and heckle him?

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rhizome
Or ask for 50% discounts.

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samstave
Hey restaurant, You want a customer? Let me get you a customer!

Groupon: How much is a lunch meal?

Restaurant: $10

Groupon: Great, here Ill give you $2.50 for it!

Restaurant: uh.. I'm not so sure about this...

Groupon: Hey customer! Come get this lunch deal. I got a great deal for you,
$10 lunch for $5!

Customer: Uh, ok.

Groupon: Sweet! I just pocketed $2.50! Isn't this a great deal!

Restaurant: WTF! I just lost 75% of my gross by doing this with Groupon!

~~~
https403
Going forward all merchants have to consider the Groupon/GOOG Offer cost while
pricing. They already factor in credit processing - and can't discriminate on
Cash customers. eventually a customer paying cash and not using any promos
will pay a lot more for the same merchandise.

~~~
18pfsmt
Actually, that's not true. As of today, because of this[1] $7.2B settlement,
merchants will now be able to charge customers that use cards a fee for doing
so. This is already the case in Australia as I understand it, and card use has
not decreased as a result. I personally use cash for most store/ restaurant
purchases (I used to work in the Merchant Acquirer space), so I will finally
be getting a better price in addition to reducing my behavior-tracking surface
area.

[1][http://newsroom.mastercard.com/2012/07/13/mastercard-
speaks-...](http://newsroom.mastercard.com/2012/07/13/mastercard-speaks-out-
on-u-s-merchant-settlement/)

