I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for a coupon. Give me $10 off to Old Navy or free Red Mango, you can guarantee I’ll visit those establishments ASAP. I may not need a Performance Fleece or Frozen Yogurt, but by God, I’ll use that coupon.
So when I received my monthly coupons in the mail from Valpak, you can bet I was excited when I noticed coupons for a free small smoothie at Maui Wowi, a smoothie shop down the block. But don’t worry – I didn’t have to fight with my boyfriend about which one of us was getting the free smoothie. Instead, I logged on to valpak.com, typed in my zip code and printed out a coupon for a free beverage.
With my love for coupons, I found myself at Maui Wowi last Saturday. I wasn’t in the mood for a smoothie, but this coupon was burning a hole in my pocket. We went in, and the little shop, as you can imagine, is Hawaiian themed with a few tables. The menu was mostly breakfast items – bagels, coffees, cookies, baked goods – and smoothies. Ben went with a strawberry banana smoothie, while I chose Passion Papaya, which was a combination of pina colada and papaya. I was so proud of our free purchases, and then I saw it – the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. Chocolate chip and double chocolate chip quickly brought me back to Chapman Elementary School where I could buy cookies for 50 cents. I loved these cookies, and the fact that no one in the cafeteria ever cooked them through, so it was always a perfectly raw cookie dough middle. I clearly couldn’t share a cookie with Ben, so I got my own, for a dollar a piece.
Cookies were phenomenal and I couldn’t be happier. It was like I was a third grader again. The smoothies however weren’t the best. Ben thought his wasn’t sweet enough, while I thought mine tasted more like something you’d get out of the 7-Eleven Slurpee machine. I also was hoping for bits of fruit, a seed, anything. To be honest, I get more fruit coming up out of my straw when I drink my milkshakes at Joy Burger Bar. Definitely was disappointed. Priced at $3.99, I’d prefer heading Joy Burger Bar for a milkshake or to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee coolatta.
Yesterday when I got home, the Valpak envelope caught my eye. I tore open the package, faster than I used to open the J.C. Penny Christmas Catalog. To my surprise there was a new offer from Maui Wowi – and this time, it wasn’t really burning a hole in my pocket.
The Basics Name: Maui Wowi Location: 1598 3rd Ave (between 89th and 90th) Who to take: Self Price: With these coupons, not bad at all. $ Overall: Thanks for the coupons, but I’ll pass from now on – unless I need a cookie. 2 stars.
Those cookies were the best! If you held them up by one end, they’d break apart and fall to the table because they were so perfectly raw/doughy. Those were the days…
Why is it that school cafeterias make the best cookies in the country? I think school boards recruit straight from bakery schools. I used to bring exact change every day for the cookies at my school, it was the only way I could get through the afternoon. If you are promising me a similar experience at this place, I may have to check it out.
Those cookies sound really good, I bet they were awesome.
http://www.vancouvertohawaii.ca