Things By Mike

I’m a thrifty shopper and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Whenever there’s a new gadget I want to buy, I scour the web looking for the ultimate deal. In fact it’s safe to say that my picture will not be found next to “impulse shopper” in the dictionary. I don’t rest until I’ve researched every nook and cranny of the web to find the best price for my must have gadget. I look for coupons, closeout sales, discount codes, you name it. I am meticulous and I am methodical in my relentless pursuit to achieve the best bargain possible and perhaps just a bit obsessive as well.

One new site that just might help me in my quest to be as thrifty as can be is Deal Locker, whose motto is “because friends help friends get deals”. Currently in its beta stages Deal Locker’s goal is to provide you with the resources necessary to find great money saving coupons. Not only that but if you know of a great coupon you can share it with others, hence friends helping friends.

So let’s dive in and see how it all works.
The first thing you’ll notice about Deal Lock is their very simple design. On one hand it may not please those who just love all the eye candy they can find on the web, but on the other hand it means you’re going to have no trouble finding your way around the place. In fact the coupon search which is the heart of their site is nice and big. You can’t miss it.

I decided to type in the search term digital camera coupons since the one I currently own is all but dead and eventually will need to be replaced. After clicking “coupon search” I was greeted first by a rather lengthy list of stores which sell cameras and following that was a list of coupon codes. For example the ones displayed to the left are a selection of coupons for Dell’s store. There’s plenty to choose from.

If I wanted to add coupons I’ve found in my relentless searches around the net, that process also looks very simple and straight forward. Just type in the store URL, coupon code and a description, then click “share this coupon”. It can’t get much simpler than that.

By the way I should also mention if you don’t have anything specific in mind that you’re looking for, Deal Locker also has a page of categories listing everything you could possibly imagine. Find something you like? Go grab a coupon.

What I liked.
There’s a lot to like at Deal Locker. The navigation is simple making it easy to find what you want in just a few clicks. As I mentioned previously the search box is nice and big and you won’t have any trouble locating it since it’s centered right on the home page. There appears to be plenty of great coupons and the feature to share ones you find is also very nice.

What I think could be improved.
Honestly I don’t think there’s a whole lot that really needs improvement. Deal Locker has done a nice job of designing a site that makes sense and works the way it should. However one thing I think I’d like to see is the coupons listed FIRST when I do a search for them as opposed to stores where I can buy digital cameras for examples. Considering the sites main focus is supposed to be on coupon codes I think it makes sense to give them the priority in the search results. That’s what searchers will be looking for. Overall though Deal Locker appears to a promising destination for all of your coupon needs.