The headline percentage is the trap. Vet the deal on these five things before you go and you'll never get bait-and-switched:…

Wax Wednesday, Shatterday, first-of-month drops — mapped a month of specials across my local shops and ranked them by real out-the-door value. Spreadsheet inside…

Sort by newest, look for photos, watch for review bombs and astroturf. The patterns that tell you a shop's rating is real vs gamed, with examples…

Broke down the true cost of delivery (fee + tip + minimum) vs the gas/time of pickup. Delivery wins more often than I expected once you value your time…

Compared the major shop loyalty programs by real redemption value, not headline points. Two are excellent, most are meh. Long-term this beats chasing one-time deals…