Day 6: Understanding Drugstores

(Don't forget to start at Day 1 of my Beginners Guide to Couponing)   By this point, you should start to see your stockpile filling up nicely! So far, I focused on grocery stores, but now that you have a good grasp on couponing, lets tackle drugstores. I am going to focus on Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS.Drugstores can be a little bit more confusing than grocery stores, but you can maximize your savings with numerous transactions. You will have to do a bit more planning before you shop, but it will definitely pay off! Drugstores will not double a coupon, but they will let you stack coupons. Each store has its own loyalty program that will offer you a huge amount of savings. Again, you will want to read over each stores’ coupon policy before shopping. Each store has their own rewards program and rules. Here are some of the basics for Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS. 

Rite Aid

 Rite Aid offers various ways to save money. You need to apply for their free rewards card otherwise you will not be able to receive the deals. Also,don’t forget to check out their coupon policy. 

  1. 1. +UP Rewards:

 

Rite Aid’s +UP Rewards print off at the bottom of your receipt after your order. You are able to use this cash off of your next purchase,but it must be used in one transaction. Rite Aid will not provide you with the left over change,so max sure your order exceeds the amount of your +UP Reward. To find out which items will give you their +UP Reward you will need to look at their weekly ad. You can see from my example below that Bayer is on sale for $3.99. You can use your manufacturer coupon for $2.00,and you will also receive an +UP Reward of $1.99 just for buying the product. This makes the item FREE.

    You are able to use your +UP Rewards as soon as they print on your receipt. Normally I will plan my shopping trips so that I make separate transactions to use my +UP Rewards while I am already there. Tip:make sure you read in the ad if there is a limit on how many you can buy to still receive the +UP Reward.   

  1. 2. Video Value Coupons (VV)Bottom of Form:

Rite Aid offers video value coupons directly from their website. After signing up for a video values account,you watch a short clip of the items you are interested in and you will then be able to print out the coupon for that item. Rite Aid allows you to stack these store coupons with manufacturer coupons. You can only print out one coupon for each video that you watch,and they will expire at the end of each month.

      

  1. 3. Single Check Rebate (SCR):

 

Another program that Rite Aid provides to customers who have their rewards card is a single check rebate. You can also find these in their weekly ads. A SCR is a rebate that you will receive back at the end of the month. When you buy an item that has an SCR you will have keep your receipt and enter the necessary information on their website. You can enter as many receipts from a particular month,but you can only request one rebate check so it is best to wait until the end of the month. You can check out how to sign up and enter your receipts at RiteAid.com.

     Here is what a deal from Rite Aid looks like: 

Lysol Healthy Touch Hand Soap System $7.49$3/1 Lysol Healthy Touch No Touch Starter Kit–$1/1 VV–$3 +UP (limit 4) =49¢

 In this instance,you would pay $.49 for the Lysol Soap System if you have the manufacturer coupon and you watched the short Video Value clip from their website!!   

WALGREENS

 **Walgreens updated their coupon policy in September of 2012. They now have a Rewards program! You can now earn Balance Rewards Points after you sign-up for a membership. You will earn points for purchasing specified products and service during promotional periods. Also, you can earn points for making healthy choices like getting immunizations.Examples of some of the points:5,000 points earned = $5 Reward10,000 points earned = $10 Rewards When you choose to redeem your points they will be converted into redemption dollars that you can use on a Walgreens purchase. You must keep your membership active otherwise you points will be forfeited after 6 consecutive months of not using your card. Walgreens issues their own store coupons either in their ads or throughout the store. In order to maximize your savings you can combine your Register Rewards deal with a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon! They will have weekly and monthly items that you can purchase and receive a Register Reward (RR) that can be used as cash on your next purchase. Walgreens also allows you to stack their store coupons with manufacturer coupons. Here are some tips about Register Rewards: 

  • Since Walgreens does not offer a loyalty card there is no limit on the amount of times you can receive a particular item on sale or a limit on the amount of Register Rewards

 

  • You can only receive Register Rewards once per deal per transaction.

 

    • For example,if buying Lysol produces a $3 Register Reward in a given week,then you must purchase each product in a separate transaction to earn the Register Reward. If you would purchase 2 Lysol product together you would only receive $3 in Register Rewards instead of $6.

  

  • Some of the Register Rewards are rolling. Rolling rewards means you can repeat the same transaction over and over again and another Register Rewards will print on your receipt,but they cannot be rolled on like transactions.

 

    • For example,you would not be able to use the $3 Register Reward that you received from the Lysol to purchase more bottles of Lysol. Instead you will need to roll your Register Rewards with another deal. So,if Tylenol produced a $3 Register Reward that week as well,you could use the Lysol Register Rewards you received to purchase the Tylenol,and then do a separate transaction to use the Tylenol Register Rewards to purchase the Lysol!!

 

  • Normally you can only receive one from each manufacturer.

 

  • When using your Register Rewards your total must exceed the value of the reward because they will not give you change back. For example,if you have a Register Reward for $5.00 you must atleast spent $5.01.

 

  • Most Register Rewards have a 2 week expiration date on them.

 

    • Although Register Rewards are used like cash,Walgreens treats them as a manufacturer coupon. A problem that you will come across with this is you are only allowed to use 1 manufacturer coupon per item in a given transaction. To avoid this,you will have to also purchase an inexpensive filler item,so that you have a non-coupon item in your transaction.

  Here is what a Walgreens deal will look like: 

Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor System $9.89Earn $5.00 Register RewardUse $4.00 from 6/5/PG= 89¢

 In this instance you would pay $.89 for a Gillette Razor System!!  

CVS

 In order to receive the deals that CVS is offering you must have a CVS card. Similar to Walgreens,CVS has a program called Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) that produces paper cash on the bottom of your receipt that you can use on your next purchase. They also allow you to stack manufacturer coupons with their store coupons. Here are some tips about Extra Care Bucks: 

  • You must have them scan your CVS card
  • Unlike Walgreens,you do not have to have as many items as you do coupons to use your Extra Care Bucks.
  • CVS will put out their weekly and monthly deals that produce Extra Care Bucks that can be used on anything and keep rolling deals to buy the same products over and over.
  • Always check the ad to see if there is a limit on the Extra Care Bucks you can receive on a particular product.
  • When using your Extra Care Bucks your total must exceed the value of your transaction. For example,if your ECBs is $3,your total must be at least $3.01.

 Here is what a deal from CVS will look like 

Bayer Advanced Aspirin 20ct. $3.00 Earn $1 ECB (limit 1)-$2/1 Bayer Advanced Aspirin,6/12 SS-$1.50/1 Bayer Advanced Aspirin Product=FREE

 In this instance,the Bayer Aspirin will be FREE!! Don’t forget to save your receipt because the ECBs will print at the bottom to be used on your next order. Now that you have an understanding of how each store works head out and try a deal! To start out I recommend only doing 2 transactions with a few items. You will have to plan your shopping scenarios before you go. Let me know what great deals you score at the drugstores!! Day 7: Couponing Pitfalls  

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