Attractions Coupons and Fundraising

Start the new year with a book

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:25:00 -0500

Reposted from the News and Record Bargain Blog, thanks Mike:

Readers have their say about local coupon books

In my last column, I recommended getting the new year started right by investing in some coupon books packed with savings for Triad shoppers.

I also asked if you use them.

Here’s what Deanna Miller wrote to me in an e-mail:

“My husband and I both lost our jobs this past year, so our wallets are tighter than ever. Often, the coupon book was our opportunity to eat out once in awhile.

In fact, for this past year, we only ate at the places that offered coupons.

Interestingly, we went to some restaurants we wouldn’t normally have known about and we trade out the coupons that are in other parts of Guilford County with my father-in-law who lives in Jamestown.”

Helen Watson of Greensboro replied that she’s not a big fan of the Entertainment coupon book.

“I had bought the Entertainment coupon book for two years and was very disappointed with the coupons,” she writes. “Most were in other cities besides Greensboro.”

Watson is partial to the Attractions Dining and Value Guide. “A friend gave me some coupons from an Attractions book and I used a lot of them in restaurants,” she writes. “I will be buying that book from now on.”

We bought both books and are hoping to make full use of them this year.

At my blog, Bargain Blog at news-record.com, I’m keeping track of how much we’re saving using those books under the “links of interest” section.

For information about the Attractions Dining and Value Guide, visit www.attractionsbook.com or call (800) 897-1004.

Eating Contests, inc. Andy's Cheesesteaks

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:50:15 -0500

Have you ever been tempted to enter an eating contest? Coupon Sherpa has a roundup of 40 different “eat the whole thing and it’s free” menu entrees from a variety of restaurants in the United States. Almost all of them are burger or pizza, with this breakdown:

18 Burger Challenges
10 Pizza Challenges
4 Sandwich Challenges
3 Steak Challenges
2 Omlette Challenges
1 Burrito Challenge
1 Pancake Challenge
1 Soup Challenge
1 ‘Feast’ Challenge

Notably absent are salad challenges, where you eat 6 heads of lettuce, a crate of tomatoes and six cucumbers. There was once an asparagus challenge, but it became really unpopular three hours later.

The last listing is for Andy’s Cheesesteaks, which seem to be popping up everywhere in North Carolina. They have the tallest of the burger challenges, with what appears to be 6 patties (40 Oz.) of beef between the bun. Andy’s have a free burger coupon in the Dining and Value Guide, but they were careful to exclude this whopper from the offer.

Who should be in the next Dining and Value Guide? Tell us for a small prize.

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:29:00 -0500

Has a hot new restaurant opened in your area? Who do you think should be in next edition of the Dining and Value Guide?

We’re scouting for the new restaurants that you like. Email, call us (800-897-1004) or comment below with your favorite *NEW* place, and we’ll send you three coupons of your choice from any of over 3000 merchants in our current guides. It would help us if you also tell us why you think it deserves to be in the next edition.

We plan to snail mail these, so please give us a mailing address to send your coupon. This offer is open to anyone, even if you’ve never owned an Attractions book. Limit one submission per household, and submissions must be businesses in the state of NC, SC or VA. Submissions will be accepted and fulfilled through the end of February, 2011, subject to coupon availability.

We review the NEW Domino's pizza recipe

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:42:00 -0500

Now that Dominio’s new recipe is soft launched in most markets, we decided to try it out over the holidays. We first confirmed by phone with the regional franchisee that all Domino’s locations in our markets were serving the new recipe. When we ordered, we again checked with the cashier. This was going to be the new recipe, and our pizza box confirmed it!

Even in the car, our new pie smelled different, and really strong with garlic. But before we got home, that had faded into the old hot cardboard smell of Domino’s of yore. I wonder how much Domino’s reputation for being cardboard pizza is due to the glue smell of their boxes? They need to fix that.

So how did it measure up? It smelled good, and looked fine but a little wet from our pineapple topping. It was evenly cooked around the edge and the crust was thick. I pulled out the first piece and it went limp in the middle. The bottom crust wasn’t stiff enough to hold its shape. It didn’t appear under cooked, just annoyingly floppy. Maybe their ovens or cooking time need to be adjusted to the old bread?

Biting in, the new cheese gets a pass, its pretty good. But the butter and crust is where things went either horribly right or horribly wrong. It reminded me of Extreme Mountain Dew, or a mildly annoying kid trying trying too hard to be on your kick ball team . “Pick me, Pick me!,” said the onslaught of spices and swamp of butter hiding in the bread. It stung my mouth after eating it, the way eating too many bowls of cereal can. The taste is extremely bold and kind of rugged. Butter was coating my hands and distracting me from enjoying it- was this safe to eat? Did they make a mistake in preparing it?

We soldiered on thought each wilted piece- to find the empty box reads like four sticks of butter were used to make it. Overall it was like having some pizza toppings placed on top of copiously lubricated garlic bread. The edges of each triangle slice were solid yellow in color, and the top of the crust was jagged with spice. This is not a pizza for amateurs.

Gift wrap your order

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:55:00 -0500

Have you already purchased the easy gifts this year?. If the rest of your gift list is people who are hard to shop for, we can help. We have the perfect gift, and there is still time for us to deliver it on your behalf.

This is what our gift wrap looks like, available as an option during checkout. Your order will ship with snow man paper and ribbon like this. We can also enclose a gift receipt with your special message to the recipient. Orders now until Monday will still arrive by Christmas Eve. If you are ready to stop shopping so you you can do better things, let us help.

Domino's Pizza taking a mulligan after 50 years

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:36:00 -0500

Per the report we’ve just seen, Domino’s pizza is starting over from scratch, and making an entirely new pizza recipe for their main product. This is a pretty bold move for any company. Changing your core product is dangerous territory- your new product could be a) worse or b) your customers revolt.

Remember NEW COKE in the early 1980’s? Yeah, it could go like that. On a national scale, $Millions$ are invested in advertising a new product with branding, packaging, TV spots, and changing a manufacturing line over. And then it falls flat, and things go back the way they were. At the end of the day, the New Coke recipe got sold to Wal-Mart for a rumored 100 grand to be their house brand cola.

I don’t know what will happen here, but I suspect after thousands of taste surveys, Domino’s corporate saw that their product would have to evolve to customer tastes, or see their market share shrink even further. One point in the press release speaks volumes:

“· Sauce - Sweeter, bolder tomato sauce with a medley of herbs and a red pepper kick.
Cheese - Shredded cheese made with 100% real mozzarella and flavored with just a hint of provolone.”

This sauce line in the press release is key- in telling us who took Domino’s market share, and who Domino’s expects to claw business back from, with this new pizza recipe campaign: PAPA JOHN’S.

Papa John’s has both a very sweet sauce, and a brand that grew fast nationwide in the 1990’s. I doubt the pizza market grew larger; as Americans we already loved eating pizza, and frequently. I think Papa John’s stole customers by the household from both Domino’s and Little Caesars.

Little Caesars was forced through the exact same reinvention that Domino’s is about to attempt, just a few years ago (I think). But Little Caesars took the opposite tactic: they sweetened the sauce, but primarily cut costs. They cut costs in ingredients, store operating costs like labor, and advertising. There are no more ‘Pizza Pizza’ commercials, as Little Caesars now shoots for the low hanging fruit. With a $5.55 price point for a large pizza, Little Caesars is targeting the budget conscious customer. They completely left the higher cost market segment (premium pizza) where Domino’s and Papa John’s are competing. As if to say, ‘good game, but we’re going back to the minor league to play now.’

Little Caesars did this by reducing the options on the menu. Papa John’s or Domino’s are both examples of ‘full service’ pizza restaurants: many toppings are available, in multiple sizes, and various sides are offered. Instead, Little Caesars reduced the options, and pretty much gives customers two choices: large cheese or large pepperoni. And on a crust not too different from corn bread. On the flip side, their pizza is ready as soon as you walk in the door- impulse purchase food. But lots of menu options are gone, including the awesome sandwiches they once sold.

The current Domino’s recipe is not too different in quality from the new Little Caesars, at a price point above Little Caesars but below Papa John’s. But it must not have been a happy medium with customers, since they are trying to drive themselves up market to compete. For consumers, Domino’s ‘better ingredients’ equals ‘better competition.’ I hope it works out, and the new recipe tastes great. At the next office pizza party, there may be a new contender to choose from, a new 50th anniversary Domino’s.

So what should we expect from this new product roll out from Domino’s? First, FREE PIZZA! Expect to be bombed with vouchers to come in and try it. Papa John’s does it with pretty much every new product they roll out, and they are the two ton gorilla of pizza marketing. It works or they wouldn’t do it. Second, I think they will be doing a tour of colleges and sports events with free samples to taste. Customers want a reason to switch, because we already like our pizza. And third, acceptance will be decided by the internet, public opinion will start with tweets and wall updates… and turn into a tidal wave decision. I really doubt Domino’s customers will revolt though, it sounds like a better pizza.

Look for new pies after December 27th. Really that means in time for the new year. The marketing machine should be running full steam just in time for the Super Bowl. Pizza marketing companies are thinking about that right now: Domino’s just showed their super bowl hand, how are we going to respond? I can’t wait.

Update:The source article at consumerist.com was pulled. Not sure what to think. No retractions, nothing.

Update 2: The original press release is under an embargo. The link should work once its lifted.
~~We got the news here~~

New source here while it lasts.

Gift Wrap now available

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:30:22 -0500

For the first time ever, Attractions offers gift wrap on holiday book orders!

The holidays have always been a high volume time, with most orders being used as gifts. We started offering gift receipts several years ago, but gift wrap has been a missing piece. We are now offering optional gift wrap with no delay to your order. Holiday orders ship out within one business day, and arrive for almost all our customers in two business days.

We plan to offer this new service all year long, for any gift or thank you occasion.

Oops

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:54:12 -0500

That was no fun. Western Digital is to thank for not being able to order this weekend. We’re extending the Black Friday sale for BFGobble ($10 off each of your second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth book) for two days to make up for it. Now its a Cyber Monday sale.

Sorry if you tried to order this weekend and were unable.

Attractions first Black Friday sale

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:43:00 -0500

Black Friday deals sound tempting, right up until you remember they involve standing in line in the dark waiting for the store to open. In honor of that, this is a Stay at Home Sale, for you and us, in our first ever Black Friday sale. Since we only sell coupon books, our sale is pretty simple:

Buy one book, each additional book is $10 OFF. Limit 5 discounted books per order. Valid for online orders placed Black Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.

And while we’re at it, FREE SHIPPING too.

The sale will run through Sunday, or the first one hundred orders, which ever comes first. We’ll be checking the web site between gobbling leftovers and football. Orders will ship out first of the week, in plenty of time for the holidays.

Photo

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:53:15 -0500

This is our upcoming ad in the Greenville, NC paper, the Daily...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:52:59 -0500

This is our upcoming ad in the Greenville, NC paper, the Daily Reflector.

Fundraiser failure: good ideas can be bad ideas

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:46:41 -0500

A Goldsville, NC parent advisory council encouraged the public middle school principal to authorize a “cash-for-grades” fundraiser for the students. In exchange for $20, students would receive twenty test points over two tests. The principal did approve it, and it sounds like the fundraiser even got started. The school board was less than thrilled when they got word, and stepped in to override the principal. No points are being awarded, and the money collected from students and parents is being returned.

Sounds like it was a great way to defeat getting an ‘F’ on a spelling test- just wash cars until you can pay it off.

Read more about the school that needs a legitimate fundraiser in the Orange County Register

Veteran's Day: Free Donut today at Krispy Kreme

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:54:11 -0500

In honor of Veteran’s day, Krispy Kreme is offering a free donut to all veterans and active military personnel, TODAY ONLY!

“Krispy Kreme is delighted to offer free doughnuts as a small gesture to thank the dedicated men and women who have served, or are currently serving in the armed forces,” said Ron Rupocinski, corporate chef for Krispy Kreme. “It is our hope that veterans and active military will visit a participating U.S. Krispy Kreme store on Veterans Day to enjoy a free doughnut, and maybe share stories about their service to our country. We salute each and every one of them.”

We’re running an ad in the Greenville, NC paper soon. It...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:27:51 -0500

We’re running an ad in the Greenville, NC paper soon. It is to promote our text message coupons, and looks like this.

Happy Halloween

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:40:11 -0400

We painted pumpkins. They are on display in our Greensboro office.

Our online tools for fundraising groups (fundraising...

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:57:59 -0400

Our online tools for fundraising groups (fundraising chairpersons) just got a face-lift. So much new stuff has been added this year that accounts had became a wall of buttons to choose from. Its looking better organized now. If you haven’t tried it out before, you need the email address you gave us and your account number- look at any of your invoices if you don’t know. We have a tutorial too.

Have you heard about selling books online, along with your fundraiser? This was rolled out last year, but now its taking off-groups have boosted their sales with a minimal amount of extra work. Simply put: you ask your supporters to order a book from our web site (any edition!). Attractions will take care of shipping it, and a credit shows up on your next invoice. This is great for grandparents or out of town friends. They can buy the local edition for their area, even if its not the book your group is selling!

Sound easy so far? Check out this banner:

Post one of these special banners on your web site (get it from your account!). Anyone who clicks your banner and orders a book will be be benefiting your group. All you have to do is copy and paste the code we provide.

Free Chicken: MORE PLEASE!!

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:18:56 -0400

KFC is doing it again, and this time they PROMISE everybody gets some chicken. Unlike when Oprah did this.
“We gear the shifts up so we make sure we’ve got the staffing, we make sure we’ve got the chicken,” KFC CEO Eaton said.
This offer is the same as last time. One day only, this coming Monday. (WOW short notice…) All 5000 US locations will be participating. And this is to try the new baked chicken, not the classic fried offerings.

Find your location now and get in line.

KFC Free Chicken Without Rainchecks

Check out our newest event banner!

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:51:34 -0400

We have a few convention banners now. They get torn up after just a couple shows, so we frequently order new ones to rotate in. This is our second tall format one. Our first was from Kinko’s on fabric, and this one is on vinyl, which I think looks more saturated due to the smooth surface. This style of banner is nice because it retracts into its own tube the size of a large umbrella. Our wall banners are much more involved to put up and transport and usually require two trips to carry anywhere.

Online Book

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:25:19 -0400

Online Book:

Online Book

A preview of our new online editions, where you print the coupons using your computer.

From: AttractionsDVG

Last weekend for sale books

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:40:00 -0400

The garage sale is ending, so this is your last chance to get a book for cheap! The deal will stay up for the weekend, so you can get a 2009 book to use until December 31.

If you have a home improvement project or a prescription to transfer, those alone will pay for the book, with any restaurant coupons you can use being a bonus. If you used up your favorite coupons already, now you can go back to all of them for the cost of one dinner entree.