Local butcher shop halts its coupon deal

Sign on front door says, ‘We need to rebuild what this store stands for, i.e. quality and service’

Situations like these happen ‘very rarely’: Groupon

JOE LOFARO/METRO

Jacky Bell shows an email from Groupon on her smartphone that confirmed the purchase of her $89 coupon for $200 worth of meat from Aubrey’s Meats in downtown Ottawa.

Published: January 23, 2012 10:53 p.m.

Last modified: January 24, 2012 8:46 a.m.

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One of the customers who bought an online coupon for some heavily discounted meat from an Ottawa butcher shop said she isn’t turned off from social buying even though the store isn’t honouring the deal.

Jacky Bell visited Aubrey’s Meats on York Street Monday only to see a sign on the front window saying online coupons and gift cards will not be accepted until May. She bought an $89 coupon for $200 worth of meat from Aubrey’s in October.

CBC News reported last week that the shop experienced difficulty in keeping up with the demand of all the coupons sold after the owner passed away.

Websites like Groupon offer steep discounts to a variety of businesses after a certain number of people buy into it. If that number is met before the offer expires, everyone who places an order will get the coupon delivered to their email inbox.

While some took to Twitter to express their disappointment with the situation, Bell said her experience likely won’t deter her from using Groupon.

“I understand why they might be upset,” she said. “It’s a sucky situation, (but) calm down.”

Aubrey’s was closed Monday and management could not be reached for comment. Bell said she still intends to buy coupons from sites like Groupon and buy meat from Aubrey’s.

“I like buying local, pesticide-free products,” she said. “I would just wait until after April and try again.”

Julie Mossler, a Groupon spokesperson, said affected subscribers should receive an email within the next few days explaining how to obtain a refund from the Chicago-based company.

Ottawa-based Kahoot.ca also offered its subscribers a similar deal from Aubrey’s and management said it will try to help them.

“We are working diligently to come up with some sort of a solution for our valued subscribers,” Kahoot management wrote in an email statement.

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