On the day I’m writing this introduction, I could pay $7 for $14 worth of ice cream at Scoop DeVille, $15 for $35 worth of food and drink at Cavanaugh’s, or $13.99 for $27.99 worth of “college care package,” which is really just a cardboard box filled with nutritionally negative snacks (more like “I-don’t-care care package”). That’s just a fraction of the day’s offerings from the ever-growing crop of daily deals websites serving Philadelphia, all of which do basically the same thing: offer (approximately) one big discount to a local or national business every day.

It's a great idea. Customers get meals, clothing, spa treatments, and other products and services at 50% to 90% off retail value, while businesses bring in hundreds of new clients. At this moment, there are at least seven daily deals sites running in Philadelphia (with a handful more planning to launch Philadelphia sections soon), and all of them offer restaurant, bar, or bakery deals with relative regularity. Some of the deals are losers – restaurants that aren't doing well for very legitimate reasons will often turn to deal sites to increase customer traffic. But many of the deals are also delicious, delicious winners. Here's how the sites stack up:

Best Overall: Groupon

The original, Groupon has been operating in Philadelphia since 2009, and it has some of the best offers, including a recent coupon for much-loved James. Groupon also gets major points for its refund policy. When Cornerstone Market (unfortunately) went out of business, Groupon refunded the money of anyone who had bought the Cornerstone Market offer but hadn't used it yet.

Hook: If enough people agree to buy the coupon, everyone gets the deal.
Deal is available for: 24 hours; more on weekends
Refunds: Groupons are refunded if a business closes before the Groupon expires; the company also offer a refund policy via a blog post. The post is lengthy, but the basic tenets are “If Groupon ever lets you down we'll return your purchase...[if] people take advantage of us by asking for refunds for things outside of our control or other frivolous reason...we'll be forced to switch to a more discriminating return policy.”
Example food and drink deals: $25 for $50 at James, $17 for a three-course meal at A Little Cafe in Voorhees, $15 for $30 worth of custom baked goods at Whipped Bakeshop

Best for Pyramid-Scheming Your Friends: Living Social Deals

Living Social Deals builds on the daily deal concept with a good ol' pyramid scheme: If you buy a deal and then get three of your friends to buy it, you get it for free.

Hook: If you get three friends to buy the same deal using your link, you get it for free.
Deal is available for: 24 hours; more on weekends
Refunds: Only available for five days after purchase
Example food and drink deals: $20 for $40 at MidAtlantic, $30 for dinner and cocktails for two at Rum Bar, $25 for $50 of food and drink at Chima Brazilian SteakhouseBest for People Who Don't Check

Things Every Day: BuyWithMe

BuyWithMe offers deals for seven days, a much longer period of time than most of the other sites.

Hook: If enough people agree to buy the coupon, everyone gets the deal. Multiple deals area available at any given time.
Deal is available for: 7 days
Refunds: All sales are final
Example food and drink deals: $5 for $10 of tea Random Tea Room, $20 for $40 at Arrivederci in Center City, $10 for $20 at Delicatessen

And there's also...

DealOn

DealOn provides a double deal, offering discounts that become even better as more people join. Also offers cash for referrals.

Hook: The more people who join a deal, the more the price drops. For example, a restaurant deal might start at $25 for $50 worth of food and move down to $22.50 if enough people sign up.
Deal is available for: Two-to-three days
Refunds: All sales are final
Example food and drink deals: $16.41 for $40 at Italian Bistro, $8 for $20 at Capriccio Cafe

Eversave
 

Eversave had a strong launch earlier this year, offering a deal for Old City's much-buzzed-about Han Dynasty. A close second in the pyramid-scheme category, Eversave gives you $10 when you refer first-time buyers.

Hook: You get a $10 credit whenever a first-time Eversave user makes a purchase using your personalized link.
Deal is available for: Varies
Refunds: Handled case-by-case
Example food and drink deals: $10 for $20 at Han Dynasty, $15 for $30 at the Ugly Moose, $17 for a Dutch Apple Pie delivered to your door

Philly Daily Deals

Part of Philly Half Off, Philly Daily Deals offers, well, daily deals instead of Half Off's regular, less time-specific certificates.

Hook: If enough people agree to buy the coupon, everyone gets the deal.
Deal is available for: 24 hours
Refunds: No explicit refund policy listed
Example food and drink deals: $7 for $15 at Top Tomato, $15 for $30 at The Wishing Well

Philly Dealyo

Philly.com's foray into social buying. Has lots of options in South Jersey.

Hook: If enough people agree to buy the coupon, everyone gets the deal.
Deal is available for: 24 hours; more on weekends
Refunds: No explicit refund policy listed
Example food and drink deals: $12 for $24 worth of Phoebe's Bar-B-Q, Half off at Rick's Breakfast House in Sea Isle, NJ, $10 for $20 at the Pita Pit

Article photos from their respective web sites, Eat Drink Philly" photograph from suvodeb, via Flickr (Creative Commons), "Philly" photograph from camardella, via Flickr (Creative Commons).