#Groupon offered fireworks deal as cities saw increase in pyrotechnics

Groupon was offering discount fireworks as cities across the country complained of being tormented by incessant lights displays, according to a report.

Phantom Fireworks, an Ohio-based company with outposts across the country, advertised a $129 36-shot fireworks box for $40 this month on Groupon as business skyrocketed after coronavirus lockdowns, the Washington Post reported.

“Three months ago, when we closed all of our retail units, we feared the worst,” said William Weimer, the company’s vice president and general counsel, according to the report.

“And then when we reopened, which would have been mid-May, I have to admit, we were totally shocked at the volume of customers.”

The Groupon voucher is no longer available on the site, but it caught the attention of social media users trying to track down the source of fireworks lighting up skies across the nation.

“Maybe this has something to do with it? Groupon has been selling large boxes of #fireworks for cheap the last few weeks,” wrote one Twitter user, who included a screengrab of the Phantom Fireworks deal.

Others said the company — which has one store about 70 miles from New York City in Easton, Pa. — has been aggressively marketing to customers.

“These guys… are advertising heavily.friends of mine have gotten circulars in the mail, and the Groupon has been running nonstop for a month at least,” one user tweeted along with a photo of a flyer.

It’s unclear whether the Groupon and other advertising gimmicks played a role in the uptick in firework sales.

But Weimer noted that many of the people rushing to Phantom Fireworks to buy the sparklers were first-time buyers.

“We have the deepest discounts we’ve ever offered this year,” Weimer told the Washington Post.