The Granddaddy of Them All: Groupon

A youthful elder statesman of the genre, Groupon launched in November of 2008 and became the fastest company to reach $1 billion valuation (thank you, Wikipedia).  If you don’t already receive these deals every morning, then you must not have an email address.  Groupon defines the format so much that its name has replaced “deal-of-the-day website” much like Kleenex means tissue and Forever Lazy means you’ve just given up.

The Overlooked Little Sister: LivingSocial

They claim to have about the same membership numbers as Groupon, but suffer from a far less-catchy name.  LivingSocial does, however, offer nifty vacation deals in addition to their discount shopping opportunities.

The Bourgie Aunt: Gilt City L.A.

This is a coupon service that even the Beverly Hills crowd can get behind.  Gilt City L.A. easily has the snazziest pictures of any daily-deal emails we receive.  And with all the clutter in our inbox, a well designed layout goes a long way.

The Trust Fund Kid: Amazon Local

Like the recently launched Google Offers, Amazon Local represents a major online player getting into the deal-of-the-day game.  There are many upstarts in the business, but Amazon has hit the ground running with some solid deals.  Disappointingly, though, none of the coupons come with free shipping.

The Broke College Student: CampusOn

Oh, college: surviving off $5 pizza deals, 99¢ taco Tuesdays, and ramen cups that somehow cost less than a nickel.  What demographic could use a few helpful discounts more than USC and UCLA students?  (The site offers promotions to students at universities all over the country, but only those two schools locally.  Sorry, Loyola Marymount.)

The Hip Teenager: Popsugar City

Using plenty of pink text, this blog features pop culture news alongside trendy tips about events, shops, and food in Los Angeles.  Plus, their emails now contain daily deals, so you won’t break the bank while hanging with the in crowd.

Featured Vendors:

• Beylik Family Farms - hydroponically grown yellow tomatoes, European cucumbers, and sweet peppers
• Inner Garden & Tea Trunk - potted and dried herbs
• LAFungHi - more fresh mushroom varieties than you’ll know what to do with, plus truffle-products and gift baskets
• Scarborough Farms - fantastic greens, heirloom tomatoes, and other vegetables

Other Information:

• At the east end of the market, there are always plenty of activities for children: moon bounces, a petting zoo, face-painting, and pony rides.
• Look out for many of the vendors who are Certified Organic.

The shop has earned a reputation for its delicious breakfasts, tasty sandwiches, and savory desserts – but Joan’s is also a nifty place to stock up on ingredients for your own creations. In their marketplace, the deli showcases cheeses, charcuterie, patés, olives, and spreads almost too beautiful to eat. The refrigerated cases offer gourmet pre-prepared entrees and side dishes – take these home or pack them up for a perfect picnic. Even grab a bottle of wine from the shelf against the wall or some fig spread and breadsticks off the front table.

Of course, you may not be able to help stopping by the dessert station, featuring home-made gelato, cupcakes, cookies, and tarts.

• The Good Traveler, reminiscent of a nineteenth century grocer’s hamper, is packed with nuts, chocolate sauce, and dried fruits hand-wrapped in craft paper with linen twine. 
• The Italian Basket, perfect as a hosting gift, comes with pesto and tapenade, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and pasta and pomodoro sauce.
• The Cocoa Basket, great for kids and adults alike, is filled with Aztec hot cocoa, mini marshmallows, chocolate dipped biscotti, and a hand-thrown coffee mug.

Fraîche also offers non-epicurean treats like spa sets, baby baskets, and flowers. You can order your gift basket in house or online. And next time you are on the site, take a look at the Exotic Fruit, Chocolate, Coffee, and Anniversary Gift guides it provides.

Gloria’s sells everything from bakeware and decorators’ tools to baking ingredients and packaging products. Its selection of cake toppers – made of plastic, candy, and wax – is extensive. And, its variety of novelty cake pans – in the shape of castles, tropical fish, and Disney characters – is impressive. To be sure, there is no better place to purchase children’s birthday cake supplies. Gloria’s also features its own brand of fillings and hand-made sugar ornaments. Finally, it offers classes on cupcake making, cake decorating, fondent working, and figure piping, many of which are open to kids!

Featured Vendors:

• Frontier Kettle Corn - that savory scent of popcorn you smell when you arrive at the market: it’s from these folks
• Honey Pacifica - beautiful jars of honey, honey sticks, and bee pollen
• Kenter Canyon – gourmet lettuce, herbs, spinach
• Zuckerman - fantastic potatoes and asparagus
• Healthy Family Farms – all your poultry needs with exquisite eggs, chicken, turkey, and duck, plus some wonderful goat cheese

Events:

• 2nd Sunday of every month – Children’s pony rides and petting zoo
• 2nd Sunday of every other month – Ask the dietician
• Every summer – Pie Baking and Chili Cook-Off competitions

Other Information:

• Cooked food vendors include Mis Padres mexican food, Daniel’s Creperie, Candy’s Gourmet Meat, and more.
• Certified Organic Producers are marked by “Certified Organic” flags.
• Shopping carts for adults and kids are available for free with the deposit of an ID (at the parking structure exit).
• The information booth sells hats, shirts, totes, and other goodies featuring the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market logo.