Walgreens 101

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Walgreens has great deals, but redeeming coupons can be tricky if you don't understand their system. I have been shopping for over a year now and have had many learning experiences. The following are my recommendations when shopping at Walgreens.

Register Rewards (RR) Program

When you buy certain products a Register Reward will print after you have paid for your purchase. This Register Reward can be used on your next purchase just like cash. You cannot use Register Rewards to pay for prescriptions, health care services, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, sales tax, lottery tickets, money orders, postage stamps, transportation passes, gift & phone cards.


Often times, in the weekly ad  there will be one item that is free after the Register Reward. AND if you have a coupon for this item it could turn into a "moneymaker". Does this mean they are going to pay me cash for purchasing the item? No. A "money maker" is when the product you are buying is less than the register reward and coupon combined. Meaning the item you purchased will turn out to be less than what you received back.

Here's an example:

Vaseline Sheer Infusion 6.8 oz. $6.99, earn $7.00 RR

Use $1.50 printable coupon

Pay $5.49 plus tax, Earn $7.00 RR
If you take the  $7.00 RR subtract the $5.49 you paid it's like earning $1.51-not including taxes.

Here are some guidelines when using the Register Rewards program.

1. If you earn a Register Reward and try to use it on the same deal that produced it you will not receive another Register Reward. The best way to use register rewards is to "roll" them. For example, I will use my Dove RR on a Tylenol deal and earn a Tylenol RR. Then I can do another transaction using my Tylenol RR on the Dove deal to earn a Dove RR. However, I cannot use my Tylenol RR on the Tylenol deal to earn another Tylenol RR. Be sure to always check the deals closely. One time they had a Neosporin and Band-aid deal. They were different products but under the same RR deal. So I could not use the Ban-aid or Neosporin RR's on each other.

2.The Register Rewards expire two weeks from the print date.  It's the worst feeling to know that I've let a Register Reward expire-it's only happened to me once but once is more than enough for me. If you have a lot of Register Rewards you are rolling be sure to check them frequently.

3. Register Rewards will not pay for taxes. This means your purchase subtotal has to be exactly equal to or higher than the amount of Register Rewards you have. If I have a $6.00 RR and my total before taxes is $5.96 I need to purchase an item that is at least $0.04 that brings my total to $6.00 or higher in order to use my $6.00 RR.

4. The total number of Manufacturer coupons and Register Rewards cannot exceed the number of items. Let's say you buy 4 items with 4 manufacturer coupons and have three-$1.00 Register Rewards you want to use. You must purchase an extra three items in order to use your Register Rewards. These are often referred to as "filler items".  Please note-you may use a Walgreen's in-ad coupon, (in-ad coupons are not considered a manufacturer coupon) item as a "filler item."

Here is a shopping list with an example for you.
Toothbrush- 1 manufacturer coupon, 1 in store ad coupon

Toothbrush - 1 manufacturer coupon, 1 in store ad coupon

Vitamins-1 manufacture coupon

1 pack of gum- no coupons  *filler Item
1 $4.00 RR

In order to use a Register Reward on this transaction I need the gum as a “filler” item or I won’t be able to use a Register Reward. If I wanted to use two Register Rewards on this same transaction I would need to buy two packs of gum to have two filler items.

5. Register Reward deals have no limit. That's right, you can do as many deals as you like. Unlike CVS, these deals are not tied to a card. Please be considerate of others who might want to take advantage of these deals as well.

6. Register Rewards will only print one reward per deal, per transaction. Let's say you have 4 coupons for the Vaseline Sheer Infusion 6.8 oz. $6.99, earn $7.00 RR. You will only receive one Register Reward for this deal per transaction. This means I would have to complete 4 different transactions in order to receive four-$7.00 RRs. 

Walgreens Store Coupons

The cashier does not need to collect these coupons like she/he does the manufacturer coupons. All you need to do is show them the coupon so they can type in the coupon code. This means you don't have to cut and clip any of the Walgreens store coupons. Just be sure to take them with you when you shop.  

Another great thing about Walgreens coupons is you can "stack" them with manufacturer coupons to save even more per item. I have explained the sources for store coupons and examples on how to redeem them below.


1. Monthly Coupon Booklet. These can be found near the front of the store next to the weekly ad. Be sure and ask someone if you can't find them. It appears that sometimes they will publish two different savings booklets in the same month so be on the lookout for both.

2. In-ad coupons. These are found in the Walgreens weekly ad.  Scenario: I buy Jif peanut butter and use an in-store coupon. I now pay $1.99 for the item instead of the full price that it would be. I also have a manufacturer coupon for this product, so I use my Jif $1.00/1 coupon which brings my total to $0.99. Be sure and hand the cashier the manufacturer coupon first. The in-ad coupon items can be used as a filler item to redeem Register Rewards as long as there is no manufacturer coupon attached to it.



3. Walgreens Children's Activity Book. These can be found near the pharmacy or by the coloring books. You may need to ask the manager to find you one. The books are $0.99 and include a variety of coupons that expire March 30, 2010. View the coupon details here.




 


4. Special Offer Books. These are coupon booklets that are a one time print. Right now Walgreens has a Healthy Savings booklet available. They can be found near the pharmacy or near the front of the store. Once again be sure to ask if you can't find one. These coupons expire December 31, 2009. Sometimes you will be able to use a store coupon, a manufacturer coupon and receive a register reward on the same item. For example, one week they had Triaminic 2/$10 (earn a $5.00 RR wyb 2). You buy two Triaminic products for $10. You then use two printable manufacturer coupons $1.50 each, this brings your total to $7.00. Then you use the $2.00/1 coupon in the Healthy Savings booklet which means you pay $3.00 and earn a $5 RR. This is a $2.00 money maker! View the coupon details here.

5. $/$$ coupons.  Sometimes Walgreens offers a $5.00 coupon if you spend $25.00 (amounts may vary.) In the coupon world it is referred to as a $5/$25 ($/$$)coupon. Usually these coupons mean that you have to have a pre-tax total of $25.00 or greater before you use the coupon. Meaning all coupons and RRs must come off and the total still be $25.00 or greater. 


Lessons Learned

1.  Coupon order makes a difference. Here's how I hand my coupons to the cashier.

• $/$$ Coupons
  
• Manufacturer Coupons
• Walgreens Coupons  
• Register Rewards 

2. If a coupon doesn't work void the item. It is much easier to void an item when you are ringing up the transaction. However, if you are in a hurry or have screaming kids you can return your purchase later-be sure to keep the receipt.

3. When there's a problem. Unfortunately you will not know what register rewards will print until after you've purchased your items. These sometimes take a bit to print so stick around after you pay. If something doesn't print double check the ad to see if you bought the wrong items. If you did you will have to call a manager up to return and/or re-ring your items. Keep in mind each manager will do this differently. If you're not sure why the register reward didn't print, ask.

Any problems with your manager or store call 877-250-5823, 800-925-4733 or Corporate Customer Service at 847-914-2500. You can also write Walgreens at 200 Wilmot Road Deerfield, IL 60015



Questions and Answers 

QUESTION: Can I use a manufacturer coupon and still receive a Register Reward? 

ANSWER: YES!! 

I had a manager tell me I couldn't receive a Register Reward about 6 months ago when I was doing a Huggies deal. The RR machine was broken so I had asked for the manager to manually get me an RR that I should have received. She tried to tell me that you can't use coupons and get an RR at the same time.

I called customer service and they told me that this manager was wrong. They had the store manager, where I had this problem, call me to discuss what happened. Once again I was told that the manager who told me I couldn't receive a Register Reward when I used a manufacturer coupon was wrong. He promised me that it wouldn't happen again at that store.

Fast forward about 8 months .................I called customer service, September 23, 2009, and asked, "If I use a manufacturer coupon on a product can I still receive a Register Reward? Guess what she said, "NO"? It turns out this person didn't know what they were talking about. So if this happens to you ask to talk to someone else. No matter what someone else tells you, YOU CAN use a manufacturer coupon and still receive a Register Reward!!!

QUESTION: What do I do if my Register Reward doesn't print?

ANSWER:  Ask yourself the following questions.

1. Did I buy the right item? There have been a few times when I have grabbed the wrong product so always double check the size, count, etc.

2. Did I use a Register Reward from the same RR deal I am trying to complete? This can be easy to get mixed up sometimes. For example, the medicine RR deal this week has several different products to purchase but all of them are from the same deal. This means you can't roll your RRs between these products.

3. Is the RR machine broken? This has happened to me several times, so always ask.

4. Ask for the Store Manager. If you said no to all of the above I would ask for the store manager. I am lucky to have a great store manager who seems to have all the answers! Hopefully your manager can help you too.

5. Call Walgreens Corporate Customer Service 800-925-4733. They might be able to help you if you have any question, issues, or concerns.

QUESTION: How do I know if a coupon is a manufacturer coupon or a Walgreens store coupon?

ANSWER: Look at the coupon's bar code.  If the coupon's bar code begins with a 5 it's a manufacturer coupon. If the coupon's bar code begins with a 0 it's a Walgreen's coupon.

My source: My wonderful neighborhood Walgreens Manager. I'm very lucky to have a really great manager, I asked him once about the ABC booklet and if it contained Walgreens coupons or manufacturer coupons. It turns out these are only Walgreen's coupons.

QUESTION: Can I get a rain check on items not in stock?

ANSWER: Yes

 I have done this several times. I have a great manager who is extremely helpful. He even prints the Register Reward in advanced (if it's a RR deal that's not in stock). I was told that only the Store MANAGER is allowed to do this and even them some won't know how or just won't do this. 

QUESTION:  Does Walgreens allow more than one coupon per item?

ANSWER: YES

First off: The in-ad coupon items can be used as a filler items to redeem Register Rewards as long as there is no manufacturer coupon used along with it. The in-ad coupons do not "count" as a coupon.

For each item you purchase you can have and in-ad coupon, a Walgreens coupon from flier, coupon booklet, Walgreen's Activity Booklet, etc. and a manufacturer coupon. So really you can have up to three coupons per item. It is not very common to have an opportunity to use all three. Last time I did this was on the Kleenex deal a few months ago. You should always hand over the in-ad coupon last! This really is just an in-store sale coupon-this is why you can use both Walgreens coupons.

Some cashiers will argue that you can't use both-I've had that happen. But I called corporate to confirm and they said it's their policy.

Basic Transaction 2 

Buy Schick Women's Quattro 3 pack $8.99, earn $3.00 RR
Buy Walgreens Bar Soap $0.33 with-in ad coupon (or use another filler item) 
 

Use $4.00 Schick Quattro coupon from 2/28 SS insert

Stack with $2.00 Quattro Walgreens coupon from Walgreen's March Coupon Booklet

Use Walgreens Bar Soap in-ad coupon 

Use $2.00 Colgate RR from Transaction 1

PAY $1.32 plus taxes

EARN a $3.00 Register Reward
In the above Basic Scenario I have one manufacturer Schick coupon and one Walgreens Schick coupon, then the Walgreen's soap coupon which goes towards my filler item so that I can use the Register Reward.

Please let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to answer them!