My Groupon nightmare! Baker who sells 100 cakes a month is forced to make 102,000 after bargain hunters flock to her 75% off web deal

Rachel Brown just wanted to drum up a bit of extra trade for her tiny company when she offered her specialty cupcakes on discount coupon website Groupon.

But the businesswoman found she had bitten off a great deal more than she could chew when 8,500 customers took up her offer, forcing her to increase production from 100 cakes a month to a staggering 102,000.

The unexpected popularity of the deal meant she had to bring in 25 agency staff who worked day and night to produce the cakes, and the cost wiped out her entire year's profit and nearly made her go bust.    More Read