Online review hub Yelp has launched local deals in Chicago, hoping to get a foothold in the daily deals space pioneered by Groupon.
Yelp Deals launched Tuesday in Chicago, becoming the fourth city for the company’s local offers program. The other cities are San Diego, New York and San Francisco.
The first Yelp deal for Chicago is a $50 voucher for food and drinks at Mexican restaurant La Ciudad for $25. The company said it sees the local offers as “a natural extension” of the marketing and advertising tools it provides to merchants.
Yelp Deals come out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
wawong@tribune.com
Sounds like a conflict of interest to me. With all the “payola” allegations they have had about getting restaurant’s ratings higher if they buy ad space, this just seems like another way to abuse business owners. If Yelp looks to your business to do a deal and you decline, how will that effect your rating?
More and more daily deal sites are popping up and offering ways to save, and this is great news for consumers looking to get discounts no matter what area they live in.
A great site to use to find the deals and sales in your area is http://www.dailydealpool.com. They send you a daily email with the best discounts, so you can always find the best savings to use every day.