+
upworthy
Joy

Want to support local businesses and save big? Then it’s time to get on Groupon.

Groupon saves you money while supporting local businesses and building more vibrant communities.

Groupon
Via Unsplash

Groupon is a great way to support local businesses

Everybody loves a great deal. But if you can get a great deal while supporting a local business that makes your community a better place, that’s what you call a win-win. And when it comes to great deals and supporting local communities, nobody does it better than Groupon.

A lot has changed since Groupon launched back in 2008. However, one thing that has remained the same is the company’s commitment to building connections and communities.



So if you’re looking for a unique gift or one-of-a-kind experience, and you haven’t checked out Groupon in a while, here’s why you probably should.

Why Groupon?

Via Unsplash

When Groupon began in 2008, the idea was to create an online deals marketplace that helped consumers discover local businesses that offer unique services and experiences. Each day, there was a different deal from a different local business, whether it was for BOGO pizza or 50 percent off admission to the local zoo. Each deal lasted only 24 hours and didn’t activate unless a minimum number of people opted in. Once a deal was activated, customers received a voucher to redeem with the individual business.

As Groupon expanded to more cities, it offered more than one deal daily. It also got rid of the 24-hour time limit and started offering a wider variety of products and services from bigger and bigger companies.

Today Groupon is the best place on the internet to get a good deal. You can buy almost anything there, at any time, with no minimum number of buyers required for the deal to be activated. And while Groupon is still the number one way to discover amazing new services and experiences in your area, they now offer discounts from major chains.

Want a good deal on a spa day, teeth cleaning, or car detailing? Check Groupon. Want to save on hotel rooms, vacation packages, car rentals, phone plans, or tickets to sporting events? Check Groupon. Want to buy a new TV, jewelry, sheets, deodorant, or batteries? Check Groupon.

In short, you probably shouldn’t buy anything until you check Groupon because chances are you can save yourself a lot of money.


Local Communities At The Forefront

Via Unsplash

While Groupon has expanded far beyond its humble origins over the last 15 years, helping local businesses thrive is still the company’s top priority. When you search for deals, the results prioritize results based on your location. And when you go to browse by categories, the first one listed is local.

That’s not an accident. It’s the company’s ethos. Groupon’s goal is not to be the world's biggest eCommerce site. Their goal is to be the best. And that means creating the types of connections between consumers and businesses that help communities thrive.

In addition to helping local businesses gain loyal customers, Groupon also helps local communities through various corporate initiatives. These include partnerships with community organizations, investments in various nonprofits, an employee volunteer program, responsible business practices, and more.

There are lots of ways to save a buck. But if you want to save money, discover exciting new products and services, and support a company that supports local communities, click here to sign up for Groupon. You will not regret it.

Community

How to end hunger, according to the people who face it daily

Here’s what people facing food insecurity want you to know about solving the hunger problem in America

True

Even though America is the world’s wealthiest nation, about 1 in 6 of our neighbors turned to food banks and community programs in order to feed themselves and their families last year. Think about it: More than 9 million children faced hunger in 2021 (1 in 8 children).

In order to solve a problem, we must first understand it. Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, released its second annual Elevating Voices: Insights Report and turned to the experts—people experiencing hunger—to find out how this issue can be solved once and for all.

Here are the four most important things people facing hunger want you to know.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pets

Family brings home the wrong dog from daycare until their cats saved the day

A quick trip to the vet confirmed the cats' and family's suspicions.

Family accidentally brings wrong dog home but their cats knew

It's not a secret that nearly all golden retrievers are identical. Honestly, magic has to be involved for owners to know which one belongs to them when more than one golden retriever is around. Seriously, how do they all seem have the same face? It's like someone fell asleep on the copy machine when they were being created.

Outside of collars, harnesses and bandanas, immediately identifying the dog that belongs to you has to be a secret skill because at first glance, their personalities are also super similar. That's why it's not surprising when one family dropped off their sweet golden pooch at daycare and to be groomed, they didn't notice the daycare sent out the wrong dog.

See, not even their human parents can tell them apart because when the swapped dog got home, nothing seemed odd to the owners at first. She was freshly groomed so any small differences were quickly brushed off. But this accidental doppelgänger wasn't fooling her feline siblings.

Keep ReadingShow less
@mychal3ts/TikTok

This is "the power of the library"

Editor's Note: This story discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.


Libraries aren’t just a place to score free books. For many, they provide safe refuge.

This secondary offering has lately been overshadowed by political controversy, as there has been a laser focus from conservatives on the types of literature libraries provide, especially titles that pertain to LGBTQ and racial topics.

But one librarian’s retelling of a life saving encounter reminds us of how essential these community spaces really are—and it has nothing to do with books at all.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sandra Maria/Youtube, Official Lives & Music Videos/Youtube

You can't not sing this song.

The music of Queen has a profound visceral effect on everyone. Few pieces of art can cause complete strangers to put aside their differences and come together in song, but by golly, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of them. It would be cheesy if it weren’t so absolutely beautiful.

This pertains even to non-English-speaking countries, it appears. Recently, thousands of Harry Styles concertgoers in Warsaw, Poland, began cheering as those iconic beginning piano notes penetrated the air.
Keep ReadingShow less

When founder Zack Gazzaniga decided to start his own tortilla chip company, Zack's Mighty, his mission was to create a delicious chip that didn’t break in guacamole.

His quest to create the perfect chip took him to Italy, where he acquired Otto File flint corn (a very flavorful variety of flint corn now mostly grown in Italy for polenta), and then back to the U.S. to plant and grow it.

When connecting with farms to partner with to grow the corn, Zack began learning about regenerative agriculture and its benefits for the soil and climate. “Regenerative agriculture made so much sense to me that I decided then that this would be a pillar of our business and a mandate that everyone who grows our corn follows regenerative practices,” he says.

Regenerative agriculture combines conservation and rehabilitation practices to improve farmland soil and combat climate change. These practices include less tillage, crop rotation, cover cropping, and composting.

One of the farmers Zack connected with to grow organic and regenerative corn was Bryce Irlbeck in Manning, Iowa. “We began [fully] regenerative farming in 2019, but have been doing different aspects such as cover cropping and crop rotation for 10 years.”

Bryce’s farm in Iowa was one of Zack’s Mighty’s partner farms that spent two years in partnership with A Greener World, evaluating farm standards, plans, and auditing procedures to receive Certified Regenerative certification. This certification provides a whole-farm assurance of regeneration and sustainability, measuring benefits for soil, water, air, biodiversity, infrastructure, animal welfare, and social responsibility. As of August 2022, all of Zack’s Mighty partner farms were officially certified.

Bryce’s advice to farmers looking to begin regenerative practices is to first “focus on figuring out a [crop] rotation since each area of the country will be different due to markets and weather patterns.”

Zack’s Mighty is thrilled to have cultivated a supply chain that uses organic ingredients and Certified Regenerative corn — ensuring its customers can be proud to align their values with their purchase.

“Our mission to make the best tortilla chip on the market starts with our ingredients and how they are produced. We want to assure our customers that we value transparency and source only high-quality ingredients to create delicious products that are truly good for the planet,” says Zack.

@thefriendshipexpert/TikTok

Go say hello to an acquaintance today

What is the cure for loneliness?

One might be tempted to say close, intimate relationships. Which is true to a certain degree, but as counterintuitive as it may seem firsthand, those more distant friendships can be just as meaningful.

In fact, according to friendship coach Danielle Bayard Jackson, those in our outer circle can contribute even more to our happiness than our besties.
Keep ReadingShow less

Actor Jennifer Garner helps a homeless man in Santa Monica, California.

A paparazzo caught actor Jennifer Garner performing a touching act of kindness. Instead of being annoyed at having the moment filmed by the photographer, she asked him to help.

Garner was at the beach in Santa Monica, California, handing out bags of necessities to the homeless when she came across a man in a wheelchair who had no socks or shoes. Garner took the socks off her feet, gave them to the man and then attempted to hand over her shoes, but they were too small.

Garner then briskly walked over to the photographer filming her and asked him for assistance.

Keep ReadingShow less