Not sure if I entirely agree with this analysis. There's an element of inventory management which Groupon allows for, which has previously been unheard of for

Not sure if I entirely agree with this analysis. There's an element of inventory management which Groupon allows for, which has previously been unheard of for most small businesses. Maybe if you realize you are definitely getting x number of customers or x number of dollars), you can better manage your cash flow. Take the photo of the receipt provided in the article. A coke costs $2.00, and presumably it's a fountain drink, cause it mentions the refill is free. We've all been exposed to this, and let's face it, it's a blatant ripoff, but on some level its understandable - it's a way for the restaurant to make some additional cash, perhaps because the traffic is sporadic or perhaps to save up for a rainy day. But does coke really need to cost $2.00, if you have a better expectation of how much product you are definitely going to sell? My guess is, probably not.