Monday, October 25, 2010

Walgreens - Coupon Mystery Solved!

Walgreens, in my opinion, is one of the more confusing stores when it comes to effectively using coupons.  Walgreens does not offer a "loyalty program" such as CVS does with the "Extra Care Card".  They do however offer "Register Rewards" (we will refer to these as RR) which print out as catalinas if you purchase the required promotional items of the week.

RR's have never been explained very clearly until recently when Walgreens finally posted it's official coupon policy.  Before that...you pretty much had to figure it out on your own, because (surprise, surprise) no one that worked there could explain it either!

 Walgreens is still not considered my #1 drugstore when it comes to deals, but occationally you find some "have to have" freebies.  CVS still rules as my drugstore of choice.  I seem to do much better with ECBs (Extra Care Bucks). 

Several have asked me lately about Register Rewards and they don't quite understand how they work....so here it goes.  PLEASE comment back if you have questions OR if there is anything that I left out that you feel would be helpful to everyone. 


Official Walgreens Coupon Policy:
As a customer-focused retailer, Walgreens encourages the use of coupons by our customers in our retail stores, in accordance with the following guidelines.
Guidelines:
General 
  • All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier at the time of checkout.
  • Walgreens does not accept expired coupons.
  • Coupons and their face value cannot be exchanged for cash or gift cards.
  • Competitor coupons are not accepted at Walgreens.
  • Walgreens cannot accept coupons for items not carried in our stores.
  • The number of manufacturer coupons, including Register RewardsTM manufacturer coupons, may not exceed the number of items in the transaction. The total value of the coupons may not exceed the value of the transaction. Sales tax must be paid, if required by state law.
  • Any coupon offer not covered in these guidelines will be accepted at the discretion of Walgreens management.
Sale Items 
  • Walgreens will accept manufacturer coupons for an item that is on sale.
  • In the event that any item's selling price is less than the value of the coupon, Walgreens will only accept the coupon in exchange for the selling price of the item. Coupon redemption can never exceed the selling price of an item and no cash back is ever provided in exchange for any coupons.
Multiple Coupons 
  • When purchasing a single item, Walgreens accepts one manufacturer coupon and applicable Walgreens coupon(s) for the purchase of a single item, unless prohibited by either coupon offer.
  • The coupon amount must be reduced if it exceeds the value of the item after other discounts or coupons are applied. (For example, a $5.00 coupon for a $4.99 item will result in a $4.99 coupon value).
  • When purchasing multiple items, Walgreens accepts multiple identical coupons for multiple qualifying items as long as there is sufficient stock to satisfy other customers, unless a limit is specified. Management reserves the right to limit the quantity of items purchased.
Buy One, Get One Free Coupons 
  • When items are featured in a Buy One, Get One Free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the items being purchased.
  • Sales tax must be paid for any Buy One, Get One Free coupon offers, if required by applicable state laws.
Internet/Print at Home Coupons 
  • Walgreens accepts valid internet/print at home coupons.

Register RewardsTM coupons 
Earning Register RewardsTM
  • Register RewardsTM will only print for in-stock merchandise during the promotional period.
  • Register RewardsTM can only be earned for eligible items. No substitutions.
  • There is a limit of one Register RewardsTM (RR) printed per offer per customer per transaction.
  • Customers redeeming a Register RewardsTM against the same offer may not receive another RR.
Redeeming Register RewardsTM
  • Customers redeeming a Register RewardsTM against the same offer may not receive another RR.
  • Refer to Register RewardsTM coupon for expiration date.
  • The RR coupon value cannot exceed the total purchase amount. No cash back and no cash value for RR coupon.
  • The number of manufacturer coupons, including RR manufacturer coupons, must not exceed the number of items in the transaction.
  • Register RewardsTM must be forfeited if the qualifying merchandise is returned.
  • Register RewardsTM cannot be used toward the purchase of gift cards and pre-paid cards.
  • Register RewardsTM can be redeemed for eligible items only. Ineligible items include but are not limited to:
·          
    • Prescriptions
    • Tobacco products
    • Alcoholic beverages
    • Dairy products
    • Lottery tickets
    • Money orders/transfers
    • Transportation passes
    • Special event/entertainment tickets or passes
    • Postage stamps
    • Gift cards/phone cards/prepaid/Green DotTM cards
    • Prescription Savings Club" memberships
    • Health care services, including immunizations
    • Any items prohibited by law


Now the “Smart and Sassy Shopper” explanation of Register Rewards
·         The secret that they don’t tell you about Register Rewards is that they are nothing more than a manufacturer coupon.  Yep, that’s right….technically anywhere that accepts a manufacturer coupon has to accept Register Rewards.
o   If you have to buy 2 Pepsi products to receive a $4.00 register reward, it is Pepsi that issued the reward to you…NOT Walgreens. So if you take your register rewards to say Publix, they may not know it (and you may have to explain it), but it is a manufacturer coupon and Publix will submit that in and receive the money back, just as they would any other manufacturer coupon.  

  Customers redeeming a Register RewardsTM against the same offer may not receive another RR”.
o   If you buy a Schick razor and review a register reward for $3.99, you cannot use the register reward against another Schick razor and receive an additional register reward.  

  ”The number of manufacturer coupons, including RR manufacturer coupons, must not exceed the number of items in the transaction.
This one gets tricky….I’ll try and explain
EX) I am buying a bottle of shaving cream.  I have a register reward from a different purchase that is equal to $1.00. I also have a manufacturer coupon from my news paper for $1.00 off the shaving cream. I cannot use both, because that is just like using 2 manufacturer coupons against that item.  However, I can use EITHER the RR or the manufacturer coupon AND a Walgreens issued store coupon against the item. 

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