[I wanted this to be a happy, happy post. It mostly is, actually.]

Groupon is a group coupon site that offers daily specials on a wide assortment of items. One of these offers was for “three kilo of 12 varieties of cheese.” Listed were: Camembert, Emmental, Guryere, Roquefort, Tomme de Chèvre, Chevre, mozzarella, St. Moore, cheese spreads and a Normandy butter. The offer was being made by Makabi Cheese, a store in Givat Shaul in Jerusalem. The cost of the deal was ₪210 for ₪420 worth of cheese.

It seemed like a cheese-lover’s dream come true.

If only.

The cheeses were delicious. I still have some Tomme. No, you can’t have any. I’ve made my feelings about the duplicity of Bashir in Machane Yehuda well-known, and I’m happy to see that there is competition growing in bringing in a quality assortment of kosher cheeses. All of the cheese was kosher, Badatz Chatam Sofer. Everything was good quality. But the devil, as always,  is in the details:

• When weighed out and calculated against their price list, they shorted about ₪82 of the ₪420 they claimed the offer was valued at. More than the ₪210 paid, but less than what they promised.
• They were technically 200 grams short of the 3kg promised.
• There were two Camembert listed, two Camembert were in the package, but when I opened them up, they were the same cheese. Only the packaging was different.
• The substituted cream cheese cubes for Guryere. They state that they reserve the right to substitute, but really, Guryere for cream cheese? Really?

It cost ₪10 to park, but that’s not really their fault. It just adds to the negative vibes.

Like I said, I wanted to make this a positive post about something that I was really looking forward to sharing with you. Can I recommend buying this Groupon offer? No, not based on what we received. Would I buy it again [Ed. It was a present from his mother]? Yes, but I would be a total pain in the ass in the store while I’m picking it up to make sure that I got exactly what was offered to me. It’s about principle and halacha. I would consider buying from them, because their prices are reasonable, but again, I would be very exacting about what I was purchasing. And I don’t know that I would go out of my way.

I don’t think they were really out to put one over or cheat anyone. It wasn’t a bait-and-switch, but it wasn’t truly honest, either. All I can say is that if you see this offer and want to take advantage of it, weigh and check everything.

Caveat emptor.

Comments

comments