Tech Shop Groupon Disappointment

I went to redeem that Groupon at the Tech Shop today...a very disappointing experience.  I was all excited too.  I had been dreaming for over a week about the possibilities that I could get.   When I got to the 19th street location, I wanted to clarify exactly what I could and couldn't use it on so I wouldn't get carried away.  I expected the "no sale items, no accessories" part of the list...but was completely caught off guard by the "You cannot spend UNDER $50...it must be $51 or over" bit that flew out of the guys mouth.  I just figured that if my treat for myself ended up being over $50 then that was that - I could deal with it.   But if I found something for $45 that I liked - I was just going to say "Meh, whatever" and let the few extra bucks go since it's not like I could get cash back.  This minimum was definitely not in the fine print on the groupon (and I double checked the website just now (and lodged a nice (er, maybe not) little comment about my experience)

I spent a good half hour scouring the women's section...looking for something in the $50-60 range.  All I could find that I would like was a cute Adidas tank that I though looked sexy as hell...until I tried it on and discovered it wasn't sexy as hell on ME!   Even that was only $45 and not being able to spend on accessories meant I couldn't just tack on a pair of running socks and call it a day.   I considered a pair of capris, but I know I wouldn't wear them because I prefer capri skirts.  None of the women's pants were long enough for my stilty legs.  I saw a neat Sugoi jacket that would be nice come the rainy season (and was soooo packable that I could squish it into a pocket on my fuel belt), but at $100, I couldn't bring myself to spend money that isn't in the budget right now.

So what DID I buy, you ask? Well - it wasn't for me.  The spending minimum killed the fun of the Groupon for me.  I picked up a short sleeved shirt for hubby.  Figured he'd been working out in a cotton tee lately and could use a tech tee instead. 

Do I think I'll buy another Groupon?  Probably not.  I hate to write something off after just one experience, but this seemed like such a good deal and a fun way to get myself a treat.   Guess if it looks too good to be true - it probably is.  Companies should just stick to what is explicitly stated when dealing with coupons.  This minimum isn't even in the fine print that applies to all Groupons, let along the fine print specific to this one.  Maybe I had a misinformed employee - I'll probably never know.   Has The Tech Shop lost my business permanently?  Nah.  I don't like how they did this, but if I need something and I'm in the neighbourhood (doesn't happen often) then I'll probably check their sale rack.   I've never been much of a Forzani shopper anyway so it's not like they'd notice if I didn't come back.

Did anyone else get this Groupon?  Did you have the same experience I did or was it a one-off thing?