How to Get the Best Deals around Renton Using Your Smart Phone

Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, a single person, or a working professional trying to feed a family, everyone loves a good deal. These days we are all so busy it can sometimes be hard to keep up with coupon cutting, or sifting through the junk mail for the best deals. What a lot of people may not realize is that the little piece of technology sitting in your pocket or purse right now may have access to some great deals that you are missing out on. I’m talking about your smart phone, and chances are you aren’t making the most of it. If you have an iPhone, an Android phone or any phone that has an Internet browser you may find the following apps and services helpful when shopping or dining around Renton.

Coupon Apps

GroupOn, LivingSocial, and DealSwarm are three of the largest group buying coupon services and they each have an iPhone app (GroupOn and LivingSocial both have Android apps as well). With these services you can subscribe to updates in the Seattle and Bellevue areas which both cover Renton. A few weeks ago I picked up a great GroupOn at Casa Durango, a Mexican restaurant on Sunset Blvd. that my wife and I have been dying to try. And this week we picked up a LivingSocial deal for the Children’s Museum in Factoria. Download the apps for these services and you can get instant updates on your phone when there’s a great deal near you.

Restaurant Apps

Some of the restaurants here in Renton have their own mobile phone apps and offer exclusive deals or loyalty rewards. One of my favorites is Carl’s Jr., which is located on 4th Street and Duvall in the Highlands. They have an iPhone app [iTunes link] that allows you to “check-in” to their restaurant every time you visit. Your first check-in and every 4th check-in get you something free. Sometimes it’s a free dessert or drink, and sometimes it’s a free cheeseburger or percentage off your meal. The more you check-in, the greater your prizes.

Another great local restaurant with a mobile app is Jimmy John’s sandwich shop, which is located at The Landing. They have an iPhone app [iTunes link] as well as a web app, which means you can access a special mobile website on your phone’s Internet browser. Either way you access it you can use it to place an order with your phone, for either pick-up or delivery. I love Jimmy John’s, because they will deliver even just one sandwich.

The newest local restaurant with an iPhone app is Pizza Man [iTunes link], located in downtown Renton. They also let you place an order from your phone.

Check-In/ Location Aware Apps

If you use Facebook Places to check-in to restaurants be sure to look out for special deals there as well. A lot of restaurants also update specials and deals using their Facebook Pages, so be sure to “like” your favorite local restaurants. One to keep an eye on is Doofer’s Bar & Grill.

You’ll also want to check Foursquare, another app that lets you check-in to stores and restaurants and occasionally receive coupons and special offers for doing so. Foursquare is available as an app on just about every phone. 

One of my favorites though is ShopKick, which is available on both iPhone and Android. With ShopKick you can check-in to stores and restaurants and collect points and rewards for every check-in. Some stores offer great discounts, like Target at the Landing, or Best Buy in Tukwila. In addition to the exclusive deals, you can redeem the points you earn for gift cards at stores like Target, Best Buy, Macy’s, Restaurant.com, iTunes and more.

Of course you’ll also want to download the Patch iPhone app [iTunes link] as well, so you can stay up to date with posts like this as well as local news around you and restaurant and retail store reviews. I hear there will be an Android version very soon as well.

If you know of any other apps or mobile websites that are helpful in finding deals around town, please let me know.