"It costs money to fulfill these deals. 'Losing money on every sale' is not a way to build a real business."

I've been looking over the Groupon/etc. deals in my area. There's a reason why almost all of the deals are either low marginal cost - gym memberships, classes of various sorts, cruises, and theater and movie tickets - or they are small businesses where the major business cost is rent and employee time, time which is presumably not being currently filled with work - massages, acupuncture, spa trips and other beauty services.