I think that Groupons salespeople were getting massive concessions from the businesses they signed up, way beyond what a normal coupon or ad campaign might cost

I think that Groupons salespeople were getting massive concessions from the businesses they signed up, way beyond what a normal coupon or ad campaign might cost them. That's just my speculation based on the magnitude of a lot of the deals I used to see and the anger I heard from some of the businesses I talked to about it.