Red Plum

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Couponing 101: How to Shop the Drug Stores

Some of the best deals you will find are at the local drugstores: CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid. But when you look at the sale circulars, it can be discouraging. ExtraBucks, +UP rewards, Register Rewards...what do they mean?

Well, when it's broken down, it's actually quite simple.


With the exception of Walgreens, you have to have a store rewards card to get these deals (CVS and Rite Aid). Each store has their own "money" - CVS has ExtraBucks, Rite Aid has +UP Rewards, Walgreens has Register Rewards.


These rewards are the equivalent to money in that particular store only (try to use it elsewhere and they'll look at you like you're trying to pay with Monopoly Money). Note: Walgreens Register Rewards state "Manufacturer Coupon" on them, so you can use them elsewhere. YMMV.


Let's take a sample sale at Walgreens:
Stayfree Maxipads:
Sale Price: $2.99
Register Rewards good toward next purchase: $2.99
Like Paying: FREE


That is Walgreen's way of saying "You give us $2.99 of YOUR money, and we will give you this product AND $2.99 WALGREENS money."


So you have to wait until the next time you go into the store to use that store money, right? WRONG. You have to wait until your next transaction. As soon as you have the Register Rewards in your hand, you can plop some more merchandise on the counter for another transaction and use those Register Rewards from the previous transaction on this transaction. You're allowed to do multiple transactions.


How do you make money on these deals? Simple - with a coupon.


Let's look at the previous example once more:
Stayfree Maxipads:
Sale Price: $2.99
Register Rewards good toward next purchase: $2.99
Like Paying: FREE


If you have a manufacturer coupon for say, $1/1 item, USE IT. That would mean you are giving the store $1.99 PLUS your $1/1 (that means $1 off 1 item) coupon, and in return you are getting the product AND $2.99 in Walgreens Money/Register Rewards. You just made 99 cents AND got a free product. Get it?


The concept is the same at Rite Aid and CVS. My favorite deal to use these register rewards on is toilet paper. I almost always find toilet paper on sale at Walgreens for $2.99 whenever I go in for a deal like the example above, which makes the TP free!


Filler items - a big thing at these stores is that you must have one item in the cart for each MFQ you are trying to use. A Register Rewards at Walgreens is considered a Manufacturer Coupon. So if you use one RR, you will need one filler item. I use the 30 cent caramels by the register, or you can pick out whatever other cheapie your heart may desire. If they give you trouble about a coupon exceeding the price of the product, show them their coupon policy. It most cases, it states the coupon can be adjusted down to the sale price of the item.


Note: If your item costs less than the amount of the RR, ECB or +UP, you will NOT get change back.


Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you!

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