News Another day, another coupon site. Today sees the arrival of yet another "deal-a-day" website in Portland: Scoutmob. Its schtick is that you don't have to pay for the deal, just pull it up on your smart phone and go to the business within a certain time to redeem it—more like a virtual 50% off voucher than the "pay $10 get $20" model favored by sites like Groupon.It's actually not a bad spin on the ...   More

News This week's cover story, Cheat Local!, explores how local businesses get crushed buy daily deals sites like Groupon. As the article explains:"There is no upfront cost to the business running the promotion. Groupon typically keeps half of the discounted price, and reimburses half—so, $5 of the original $20 price of [an item]—to the merchant."Depending on the discount and the cut taken by the deals ...   More

Cover Story Ethan Powell and Tobias Hogan, two typical restaurant workers with more than a decade’s experience between them, wanted more. Two years ago they stepped out and took a gamble that has lured—and   More