A Hiatus from the Second ammendment
/Groupon, the social coupon site, replied to my inquiry about their recent decision to take a hiatus from offering coupons for things related to guns.
Groupon wrote me about their policy of not offering Groupons for things with gun safety, gun control, or target practice.
Read their letter to me:
Hi John,
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.
We understand that this is a sensitive topic, and that some of our customers may not agree with our choice to pause the promotion of firearm-related deals. Groupon has always aimed to offer a diverse range of products and services to meet the various tastes and interests of our subscribers. However, at this time, enough customers and merchants have voiced their opinions that we believe a hiatus is warranted.
Please note that we have never sold guns, and Groupons you've already purchased are still valid. This hiatus only applies to firearm-related deals including shooting ranges, clay pigeon shooting, and concealed weapons training classes. We have not made a final determination regarding this category -- we are simply taking a break and may reevaluate in the future.
We genuinely appreciate your opinion and the feedback you've given us. I'll be sure to share your comments with the appropriate people.
Regards,
Diane T
Groupon Customer Support
I replied to them:
As a Groupon Customer I am disappointed in your decision to stop offering Groupons involved with Gun Safety, Target Practices, Clay Shooting, and Concealed Carry classes.
If Groupon is interested in not offering gun deals because the purchaser could be involved in a shooting, I ask, would you just be consistent?
- Your food deals allow people to get fat.
- Your alcohol deals allow people to get drunk, drive, and kill people.
- Your romantic getaway packages are used by adulterers and the unmarried. Their usage of your Groupon is literally destroying relationships, families, and homes. You are facilitating abortions, unwed mothers, and increasing the use of Welfare, thereby increasing our National debt.
Your Groupons are sold to flawed people. Perhaps you should just stop selling to people. Maybe you should do background checks on purchasers for every deal.
Romantic Groupon: Do a background check to see if they are married, if so, they can only bring their spouse. If they are unmarried, they can't buy the Groupon.
Restaurant Groupon: Do a background check for the purchaser's BMI. Is it too high? Don't sell it to them.
Alcohol Groupon: if the establishment serves alcohol do a background check. This would prevent people who have a drinking record from buying the deal. Furthermore, if these people have ever been known to have friends that encourage drinking, they should be banned from purchasing that Groupon. You should get a designated driver to be declared on any deal where Alcohol will be served.
Dental Deals: you should do background checks on the patients who have used tobacco, alcohol, and acidic foods. They should be exempt from purchasing.
The above is said with an appropriate dose of sarcasm. But, hopefully you see the flaws in your approach. You can't control what people do with your deals.
I purchased a Concealed Carry class because I wanted it. Criminals are not taking concealed carry classes. Criminals are not taking gun safety classes. Criminals are not taking clay shooting classes.
Groupon, while on this hiatus, perhaps you could think on the silliness of your decision. I think you're allowing your local crisis in Chicago to influence your decision to take a hiatus.
You can follow along on Facebook too:
https://www.facebook.com/groupon/posts/10151402536140821?notif_t=like