Are you a cheap first date?

I attended a conference this past week about the convergence of e-mail marketing, social media, and customer relationship management. One of our keynote speakers talked about the meteoric rise in popularity of web-based coupon programs like “Groupon” and “Living Social”. These sites have become so ubiquitous, he said, that it would be perfectly OK to take someone a first date to a restaurant and pay for dinner with a Groupon. But take that same date to the same restaurant and use a coupon you clipped out of the newspaper? A huge social faux pas, he claimed.

Mike’s Rule: No coupons – from online or printed sources – are allowed on a first date. A first date is not designed to be an exercise in extravagance or frugality. So it would be just as wrong to go to the fanciest restaurant in town and whip out your Groupon, as it would be to use your loyalty card at the local Taco Hut so we’d save $1.50 on my combination plate.

Don’t misunderstand: I love my Groupons and use them all the time. But when it’s all about first impressions and getting to know someone, I maintain that using any kind of coupon on a first date is kind of cheap and tacky. Your thoughts?