[ednc]

I'm calling BS (or at least poor research) on the story. I personally know 4 businesses that did groupon deals, and none of them got the money up-front. In fact one of them had the opposite problem, and it took several months to get the check (The account rep had apparently screwed up some paperwork, got fired, and it took a while to get straightened out).

Also, how would groupon even know what the check amount should be up front? I guess they have some history on how many deals they sell by type / geo at this point and could estimate, but it seems risky (on both sides).

Maybe groupon does advances for larger businesses or national brands, but I don't think they are the ones who would need to raise quick case.