i agree. many small businesses are using groupon or livingsocial to bring in foot traffic, then switching the new consumers over onto their own loyalty programs to retain them. if the consumers like their experiences, they can join a mailing list, where the vendor can send their own discounts.

this, and highly unconventional approach regarding the IPO by andrew mason (not remaining quiet during pre-IPO quiet period, recent executive reshuffling), as well as questionable sustainability, will probably delay the IPO for several months. i, as i'm sure many others, are curious as to what the company will look like in a year.