Walgreens--A True Blue Love/Hate Relationship

I have been dreading this post because Walgreens can be a frustrating system to learn as far as couponing goes.  Sometimes I feel like they try to make it difficult to discourage shoppers from saving money.  Anyway.  Let me try to break this down for you.  As always, if the three of you that read this blog have any questions, feel free to ask.  There are many ways that you can save money at Walgreens:

1.  Rebates - Each month, Walgreens comes out with an Easy Saver Catalog.  You can pick up your catalog in the store near the entrance right by the weekly ads.  In this catalog, there are rebates and Instant Value Coupons (IVC).  The rebates are redeemed similarly to how they are redeemed at Rite Aid by going online and filling out your rebate form digitally.  It is fast, easy and you can choose whether or not to receive your rebate at the end of the month in the form of a check or a gift card.  I would suggest getting the gift card because you can get your rebate money electronically deposited the next time and earn an additional 10% on your rebate generating items.  So, if you earn $20 in rebates on your gift card, you will actually get $22.  You can utilize that money to cover your next month's rebates or the small OOP you may have with each transaction.  Again, you are rolling that initial investment to lower your total costs.  There are usually a handful of rebates that are for the full purchasing price every month.  If you happen to have a coupon for those items, use them!!!  You will still get the full rebate amount even if you spent less on the product because of coupons.  You can make money to go shopping!  Who doesn't love that!?!?!?  There are also a ton of items that offer a partial rebate.  Be sure to keep an eye on these products, because often times these items can be free if you combine them with coupons or if they happen to go on clearance.    

2.  IVC - As previously mentioned the Easy Saver Catalog also has Instant Value Coupons.  These are store coupons that can be used in conjunction with manufacturer coupons to maximize your savings.  They are also found in the weekly ads.  In order to take advantage of these coupons you have to have the cashier scan the barcode on the coupon and the savings will be taken off your register for each qualifying item.  For example, this week at Walgreens Garnier Fructis Hair products are on sale for $2.99.  In the Easy Saver Catalog there is an IVC for $2 off any Garnier Fructis Hair product.  If you have the $1 off coupon that just came out in the newspaper you can get each Garnier product completely free.  Nice right?

3.  Register Rewards - This is Walgreens "ECB program."  (Refer to the CVS post for an explanation of how ECBs work.)  A register reward is printed out of the Catalina machine next to the register at the conclusion of a transaction.  It is triggered when you purchase qualifying products that are listed in the weekly advertisements.  It can be used like money, however it is technically a manufacturer coupon.  For most stores, you can use as many of these as you would like in a transaction, however Walgreens has a policy that you cannot have more manufacturer coupons than items in your transaction.  So, you may have to add a low costing item to the transaction so that you can use your register reward.  Ideally, you want to roll your RR just like you roll your ECBs and other Catalinas.  Walgreens has made this a bit difficult.  Let me explain.  If you want to use your RR on another RR earning product it must be from a different manufacturer otherwise the new RR will not print.  For example if you have a RR from General Mills and want to get more cereal, you would have to use it first on a different RR generating transaction before doing another General Mills deal.  Refer to my latest Walgreens trip for a look at how I "rolled" my RRs.

There are a few tricks of the trade that I would like to share with you.  First, always get all of your manufacturer coupons scanned first before having the cashier scan your IVCs.  This will eliminate a lot of problems that sometimes cause your coupons to be rejected.  Second, use your rebate items as fillers, especially if you are paying with register rewards.  It will minimize your OOP.  Third, be sweet.  As you get adept at coupon shopping you will begin to know more about Walgreens than many of the employees and even managers.  Each store is different and what a manager will allow may vary vastly.  A bit of sweetness can go a long way in terms of your savings.  Fourth,  join A Full Cup and take advantage of the coupon community.  It will save you time and of course money.  

There you have it!  A brief explanation of what Walgreens can do for you. TTFN!!!