All Hail The 2012 Bargain Hunter!

June 12, 2012 - PRLog -- We all love a bargain but 15 years ago the thought of handing over a discount voucher in a restaurant would have made most of us cringe with embarrassment.

Today coupon culture is everywhere in Britain and 40% more of us search for discounts on the web than three years ago. Women are much more likely to use a discount code or voucher and the chances are they will spend it in a restaurant.

Websites, chat rooms and on-line clubs have now been added to the mix which used to consist simply of coupons you clipped from the local newspaper to get £3 of your groceries. Then you sheepishly handed your newsprint over at the check-out hoping that none of your neighbours were shopping at the same time and found out how “mean” you were.

The money-off coupon has truly come of age and it is all thanks to the internet. Search for special offers in Croydon for example and you’ll be spoilt for choice for bars, restaurants, clothes shops, holidays, hotel accommodation….the list goes on and on.

Buy one, get one free deals (BOGOF), two for one meals and group savings are part of every day life. Even if you don’t check your favourite websites every day or even every week the chances are you’ll receive tempting emails from companies you have used in the past trying to lure you back with money-off deals. Few of us can resist a bargain once it has popped into our inbox.

If you have any doubt that the age of austerity has turned us all into bargain hunters look at the success of the website MoneySavingExpert.com which was recently sold to MoneySupermarket.com for an eye-watering £87 million.

MoneySavingExpert founder and journalist Martin Lewis has certainly made a handsome profit from his love of a good deal and a bargain. The man who is reputed to have only wined and dined his future wife at restaurants offering a discount is now in the money thanks to the success of his site.

Retailers, hoteliers and restaurateurs have caught on to the potential discount codes and vouchers have for building business. Rewarding loyalty with discounts on future visits brings customers back.

Some restaurants and hotels have even been able to scrap the “mystery diners” who visited to check staff were keeping up standards of food and service. Instead of paying these strangers to pretend to be genuine customers many companies in the hospitality sector now offer money-off or two for one vouchers if you complete an online feedback form. Everyone wins. The hotel gets quality feedback and the customer gets a discount and the feeling the business cares about their opinion.

It is all a far cry from scraps of newspaper and Christmas-only special offers but it makes the deals all the sweeter!

Visit : http://www.lansdownehotelcroydon.com