Living Social’s deal with Whole Foods becomes fastest selling coupon

A Living Social deal offering $20 worth of food at Whole Foods for $10, has become the fastest selling coupon by the site, reports the Washington Post. The site, which is offering one million of these coupons, is seeing the offer sell at a rate of 115,000 an hour.

This is Living Social's first nationwide grocery coupon, reports the Austin American Statesman. The daily deal site has offered food coupons in the past, but they are usually only able to be used at an independent grocery chain or small restaurant venue.

Living Social Spokeman Andrew Weinstein told the Associated Press that the Whole Foods coupon was the company's fasted sold yet, with 30 coupons being sold every second. However, it is not likely to be the most sold. In January, Living Social sold 1.3 million coupons for Amazon.com, according to Signal News. Currently, 893,444 coupons have been sold.

"We expected it to be very popular," Whole Foods spokeswoman Kate Lowery told the Statesmen, as Whole Foods shoppers are generally very active online. The Texas-based grocery chain is donating five percent of the profits they make from the deal to its Whole Kids Foundation- a nonprofit focusing on educating children about healthy eating in schools, reports USA Today.
“We’re not a traditional grocery,” Lowery told Bloomberg News. “We’re always looking for alternatives and ways for our shoppers to save.”

Living Social, a Washington DC based company, is the second largest daily deal company. Its largest competitor, the Chicago based Groupon, recently began selling discounts on items sold over the web in the U.K., reports Bloomberg News.

The Whole Foods deal on Living Social will run 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, or until the coupon lasts, and is available to anyone who registers onto the site.