Business Insider
June 6, 2012
UPDATE: Groupon confirmed to Business Insider this afternoon, “we aren’t currently accepting new adult merchants,” although those types of businesses are being constantly evaluated at a local level. See the company’s full statement below.
EARLIER: Groupon, which once offered a walking tour of San Francisco-based porn studio Kink.com and a tour of the Playboy mansion, no longer does business with adult entertainment vendors, according to Morality in Media, a morals pressure group. MIM had called for a boycott of Groupon while it was offering such events, and today announced that its boycott—involving a claimed 20,000 Groupon membership cancellations—worked.
MIM said Groupon has “refused to acknowledge” that it has ceased working with adult businesses, but that two “business customer” sources confirmed it was no longer taking X-rated money.
Groupon later sent this statement to BI:
“We continue to test different types of deals in markets around the country, and run categories that represent the interests of each local customer base. While we aren’t currently accepting new adult merchants, guidelines for what types of businesses we do and do not run are constantly reevaluated on a local level.”
MIM became annoyed at Groupon after it offered this Groupon offer expiring in January 2013: “$28 for Armory and Adult-Film Set Tour for Twoat SF Armory (Up to $60 Value).” … “Employees lead 60-minute tours for guests aged 18 & older through five floors of historic armory & elaborate adult-film sets.”
