I almost never buy anything online in response to an e-mail promotion. In fact, I rarely even open e-mail promotions, even when I have specifically signed up to receive them. My biggest problem is that I don’t have any money. So even when I do open the promotions and would like to buy something, it generally isn’t feasible.

I have, however, purchased Groupons several times. The company sends out daily e-mails with a coupon or deal for various businesses around Portland. I’ve wanted to buy the ones that offer deep discounts on things like spa days or chiropractic visits, but usually I buy Groupons for restaurants (getting $35 worth of food for $12, for example). Again, money is a factor here, but they do offer really good deals, and you know since they send out an e-mail every day that you will probably find something that you like. I don’t get the feeling that the company is spamming me with products I’m not interested in, even though I don’t purchase most of the deals.

The other e-mail promotion that I like is from a salon that I occasionally go to. It is just one woman who works in her own studio, and she is usually very busy. But when she finds that she has appointments available, she will send out an e-mail stating the times that she has open and usually a discount on certain services. I think this is a great way to let people know when she has rare openings, and she knows that the people she e-mails are already customers, so it doesn’t feel intrusive or really “advertise –y.”

I don’t typically even open e-mails like “Free Shipping When You Spend $20—3 Days Only!” I get those a lot from bookstores, but unless I already am looking to order something specific, I’m not going to go to the site and buy just from that offer.