Deals-for-a-Purpose Daily Deal Site Takes Aim at Predatory Discounters

PASADENA, Calif., Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Long before demonstrators took to the streets to protest the growing litany of corporate abuses, Carie Salter decided to become part of the solution. Salter, a Pasadena mom and a Stanford and Harvard graduate, this spring launched SocialGoodies.com, a deal-of-the-day website that exists to fund the good work of great charities.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111027/LA94499LOGO)

"Today, the place of purchase is just as important as the products you purchase. Consumers don't always know that some companies are fueling societal ills in the chase for profits--and discounts," says Salter.

Such short-sighted business practices can be disruptive to what Salter calls a "sustainability cycle," which she defines as a cycle of transactions that add value, not costs, for all participants in a given value chain.

The founding principles of Salter's deals-for-a-purpose business model include the following:

• Transparent business practices 
• A permanent commitment to the success of customers, retailers and charities 
• Social responsibility

As a result, Social Goodies gives retailers a generous portion of the deal sales, provides 20 percent of the gross proceeds to established national charities, and aims to become a role model for other businesses – including industry "leaders" Groupon and LivingSocial. 

"Groupon and LivingSocial are giving discounts with the goal of making a profit for themselves. Our goal is to make a difference in the world," says Salter.

A recent Social Goodies deal highlights Salter's point. Social Goodies offered a deal for $42 that gave $8.40 (20 percent) to charity for every sale and in excess of 60 percent to the retailer. Groupon Goods featured the same product offering two days later for $40, with no money going to charity and, if history is a guide, only half of the deal proceeds going to the retailer.

Deal-of-the-day websites like Groupon and LivingSocial can be hugely negative for retailers. The sites don't put retailers' interests first and, Salter believes, they are "training the retailers' customers to wait for and expect big, disruptive discounts that have absolutely no purpose except to fill the coffers of the daily deal sites," says Salter. "We want to be fair to the retailers. And we want to show that business doesn't have to be evil to society, but can be socially good."

Consumers, "Like" us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for more sustainable daily deals.

Media Contact:
Social Goodies – 877.846.2630
Sara Stein - [email protected]

SOURCE SocialGoodies.com