In a world full of flyers, online and email discounts, students can be easily overwhelmed with choices to do on their Friday night or weekend. However, local business Posh Tuscaloosa is serving up discounted offers to places appealing to many.

Founded by Lana Hill, Posh Tuscaloosa offers online gift certificates that can be purchased and used at area businesses.

“It’s a good resource for people to find the best of the best,” Hill said. “Through Posh Tuscaloosa you can find deals and incentives at places you may have never known about. You can learn as much as you want about the place on our website before making your purchase.”

Hill said she decided to pursue this business idea after leaving work at a television station to stay home with her children.

“I have a background in advertising and marketing, and I liked the concept of deals as a way to trade for marketing,” Hill said. “And it’s risk free advertising for the businesses.”

In an effort to make Posh Tuscaloosa more boutique-like, Hill said she thought about the normal hot spots locals frequent as places to recruit for Posh. She liked the idea of featuring smaller companies that those from out of town or new to the area might not know about.

“We were only going to [start Posh] for large cities, the biggest cities in the Southeast, but we were approached by someone who wanted us to do Tuscaloosa,” Hill said. “It’s a smaller city, but it is so special and there is such a broad range of people from college students to those living there permanently.”

Hill said although Tuscaloosa is close to Birmingham, their original location for Posh services, Tuscaloosa needed its own website and database.

The website features a directory of middle to higher-end restaurants, retailers and spa businesses that consumers can visit at a discounted price after purchasing a certificate. Hill said most of her customers are on an email list and receive notifications of when new certificates are in, or they can check the website.

Certificates are only renewed on quarterly intervals as a way to keep the demand high, but also allow the businesses to thrive and not become stressed by an overwhelming amount of certificate usage.

“We are not trying to be a Groupon, which will sell as many that it can and ultimately hurts a lot of small businesses,” Hill said. “We care about our companies and only sell the amount the business can handle. Some places can handle a lot higher volume than others, so certificate availability varies.”

Hill said she has been met with hostility from some restaurants that have been burned by Groupon or Living Social, and said she continues to inform those she represents that Posh is not the same.

Some of the businesses participating in Posh Tuscaloosa include Chuck’s Fish, FIVE, Innisfree Irish Pub, Sweets Cupcakes, Black Warrior Outdoors, The Pants Store and The Trunk.

Bryan Hargett, manager at Innisfree Irish Pub, said they have been pleased with their partnership with Posh Tuscaloosa.

“It has been bringing in customers that may not have known about us before and hope they are pleased and come back again,” Hargett said.

Although Innisfree has not tried Groupon or Living Social, Hargett said they have used others, but Posh Tuscaloosa has been one of their bigger coupon campaigns. He said they plan on staying with Posh Tuscaloosa in the future.

Certificate prices vary depending on each business but consist of paying $10 for a $20 gift certificate or $30 for $50 gift certificate and more

Hill said while some of Posh Tuscaloosa’s places may not appeal to all students, it is definitely worth trying as a way to save money and try out trendy places.

“I would use it to find discounts, especially if you are wondering what to do on a Friday night,” Lee Yarbrough, a junior majoring in public relations, said. “I think this could definitely appeal to students depending on how well it’s advertised.”

Hill said they are in the process of recruiting Mugshots Bar and Grill and wants to maintain her high standards for participating businesses.

“We endorse these places, so we have to know the place and make sure they will be staying,” Hill said. “It has been great watching and helping these business grow. We have really enjoyed it.”

Posh has locations in Birmingham, Nashville, New Orleans and Tuscaloosa. For more information, visit poshtuscaloosa.com.