Sunday, January 30, 2011

How to Shop at Drugstores

Drugstores are a major source of AMAZING deals.  You just have to know how to work the deals, and you can save major money [and even MAKE money sometimes!].  
There are three major drugstores in the Upstate: CVS, Rite Aid, & Walgreens.  


CVS and Rite Aid are rather straightforward with their couponing policies and are also much more liberal with their policies.  I highly recommend that beginning couponers pick ONE store of either CVS or Rite Aid to begin their hobby.  After you are comfortable with one, go to the other, and if you ever feel brave enough, try Walgreens LAST. Remember, wherever you start, to start SMALL.  Don't get carried away!  All drugstores run sales cycles, just like grocery stores, and ANY deal WILL happen again!  


Click  the link below to read the full post.....





CVS offers Extra Care Bucks [often abbreviated ECBs] on lots of their items each week.  When you buy an item in their store, often ECBs will print on your receipt.  Save these!  They are like free money!  Rite Aid works similarly with their UP+ rewards.  Up+ rewards also print on the bottom of your receipt after purchasing certain items, as advertised in their weekly flyer.


Walgreens is much more difficult.  Walgreens offers Register Rewards [abbreviated here as "RR"] when purchasing certain advertised items.  Register Rewards are catalina deals that print at the end of each purchase.  Register Rewards may then be used on a future purchase with some exceptions.  Register Rewards are programmed to only print ONCE per transaction on the same item.  So, if you buy multiples of an item that produces RR, the RR is only going to print the amount advertised for one.  Also, if you use a RR to purchase something by the same manufacturer in another transaction, the RR will NOT print for the new item purchased.  You must use different RRs and keep them all separate to avoid using same manufacturer RRs on purchases.  Also, each RR counts as a "manufacturers coupon".  Since they are manufacturers coupons, not store coupons, you can only use ONE per ITEM purchased.  So, say you are purchasing the following:
(1) Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor @ $9.99 [get $5 RR back after purchase]
(1) Dove Body Wash @ $4.99 [get $4 back after purchase]


and you have the following coupons to use:
(1) $4/1 Gillette Fusion ProGlide
(1) $2/1 Dove Body Wash
(1)$5 RR from a previous purchase


You could only use TWO coupons as stated above for this transaction.  You would need to add a small filler item [i.e. a candy bar, pencil, eraser, or newspaper, etc.] in able to use the $3 RR on this transaction.  That way, you would have three items and three coupons.  So, your transaction would look like this:

(1) Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor @ $9.99 [get $5 RR back after purchase]
(1) Dove Body Wash @ $4.99 [get $4 back after purchase]
(1) Valentine's Day Pencil @ $0.15 
Total before coupons/tax: $15.13

Now, add your coupons:
(1) $4/1 Gillette Fusion ProGlide
(1) $2/1 Dove Body Wash
(1)$5 RR from a previous purchase

Total after coupons: $4.13, get back $9 in Register Rewards [$5 for razor & $4 for body wash]

Remember to pay close attention to the RR when they print.  Right below the value of the RR, it will say "Thank you from ____!!!"  Pay attention to the name in the blank and be sure to use that RR on a product OTHER than one made by that manufacturer.  

I know, it's confusing.  Walgreens is the LEAST coupon-friendly, and I do not recommend at ALL that the beginning couponer start there.  Try CVS or RiteAid first, master it, THEN move on.  Let me know if you have any questions!

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