I'm one of the developers behind this app, and I'm really happy that it's getting some attention for this. One of the biggest problems with passbook is that it's hard for people to "get" the concept until they see it in action. The Valpak app provides a very low "barrier" to getting a pass. You don't have to have an account or sign in, and there's tons to choose from with just a few taps. It's easy to see what Passbook does and why it's beneficial with this app, and I'm very proud of it!
I knew your name sounded familiar for some reason, and then I googled you to find you're the creator of TimeScroller (https://github.com/andrewroycarter/TimeScroller)! thanks for building it!
> Passbook and Valpak's app saved me a ton of time clipping coupons
I thought this was what coupons are for, a passive kind of price discrimination against people who aren't price-sensitive enough to go to the effort. This reduces friction for most but not for the very poorest customers (who can't afford smartphones). The only effect I can predict is retail price increases to further gouge the people who don't even bother to install this app.
Comments
I'm one of the developers behind this app, and I'm really happy that it's getting some attention for this. One of the biggest problems with passbook is that it's hard for people to "get" the concept until they see it in action. The Valpak app provides a very low "barrier" to getting a pass. You don't have to have an account or sign in, and there's tons to choose from with just a few taps. It's easy to see what Passbook does and why it's beneficial with this app, and I'm very proud of it!
I knew your name sounded familiar for some reason, and then I googled you to find you're the creator of TimeScroller (https://github.com/andrewroycarter/TimeScroller)! thanks for building it!
Well thanks! I was happy with how that turned out! I actually have some cool new features / bug fixes in the works on that project!
> Passbook and Valpak's app saved me a ton of time clipping coupons
I thought this was what coupons are for, a passive kind of price discrimination against people who aren't price-sensitive enough to go to the effort. This reduces friction for most but not for the very poorest customers (who can't afford smartphones). The only effect I can predict is retail price increases to further gouge the people who don't even bother to install this app.
Yes. Precedent: grocery chains w/ club cards.