HOW TO COUPON SHOP AT WALGREENS
When you are first starting couponing the drug stores can be the most confusing to get a grasp on. Even seasoned couponers can get stuck re-configuring their checkout strategy based upon which items were actually in stock when they got there. Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid are very similar. Start using these concepts little by little. I found it easier to NOT try to dive into every aspect of this all at once when I started couponing at Walgreens. I worked my way into it. I did whatever was straight up FREE or Cheap just by using coupons. If I got Register Rewards I considered it an exciting bonus. But I didn't go in there specifically to do Register Reward deals for a long time. Take it all at your own pace :) Start with the concepts that you feel most comfortable with and ask associates for assistance while you're there if you need help. The cashiers, floor associates, the cosmetics gals and the store managers at the 2 locations closest to my house are SUPER nice and helpful and just plain wonderful!!!!!!
First off, read through the Walgreens Coupon Policy and Print a copy of it to keep in your binder.
Walgreens Store Coupons can be found in their Weekly Sales Ads, referred to as In Ad Coupons in the coupon matchups. Walgreens has Coupon Insert pages occasionally in the Sunday Newspapers in certain regions. I have never gotten one here in Rochester, NY. However my mother lives near Ocala, FL and she gets them. So when they do come out she will mail one up to me. Walgreens never keeps the Store Coupons after they scan them, so I just have my mom mail me the one sheet/set. Walgreens will also put out a monthly coupon booklet found on the rack inside the front doors where they display the weekly sales ads. It's a tall narrow booklet. Those are referred to as IVC's (Instore Value Coupons) in the coupon matchups. Lastly, Walgreens will occasionally put out specialty coupon booklets at the Cosmetics Counter and at the Pharmacy. It's a good idea to always take a stroll past those areas and take a peek. Sometimes there will even be little tearpad coupons at the Cosmetic Counter or in the isles next to the items. Sometimes Store Coupons will print out randomly at checkout when you get your receipt. Register Rewards print out at checkout when you get your receipt and they are based upon what items you purchased. Register Rewards are to be used on you next/future purchase and will be explained further as we go along. Register Rewards are considered Manufacturer Coupons by Walgreens.
You may use 1 Store Coupon + 1 Manufacturer (Mfg) Coupon per Item.
Walgreens does not pay overage on coupons or allow overage to be used toward your basket purchase. As stated in the coupon policy Walgreens will reduce the value of your Mfg Coupon down to the price of the item making if FREE for you.
You may use a B1G1 FREE Coupon on a B1G1 FREE Sale and get BOTH ITEMS FREE!
Register Rewards.... the trickiest part and the final piece to mastering couponing at Walgreens.
Register Rewards are considered Manufacturer Coupons. And keeping in mind the concept that you cannot use more than 1 Mfg Coupon per item... the number of Manufacturer Coupons, including Register Rewards, cannot exceed the number of items in your transaction. If you need to use Register Rewards to make your items FREE, and there ends up MORE Mfg Coupons + RR's than items in your cart, toss in what we call a FILLER ITEM. Scan the Walgreens Ad and make a little list ahead of time for Filler Item ideas such as $.10 Pencils, $.19 Royal Gelatin etc. Here is a sample transaction to help you view it to makes sense out of this.
Sales Ad Reads
Walgreens Store Coupons can be found in their Weekly Sales Ads, referred to as In Ad Coupons in the coupon matchups. Walgreens has Coupon Insert pages occasionally in the Sunday Newspapers in certain regions. I have never gotten one here in Rochester, NY. However my mother lives near Ocala, FL and she gets them. So when they do come out she will mail one up to me. Walgreens never keeps the Store Coupons after they scan them, so I just have my mom mail me the one sheet/set. Walgreens will also put out a monthly coupon booklet found on the rack inside the front doors where they display the weekly sales ads. It's a tall narrow booklet. Those are referred to as IVC's (Instore Value Coupons) in the coupon matchups. Lastly, Walgreens will occasionally put out specialty coupon booklets at the Cosmetics Counter and at the Pharmacy. It's a good idea to always take a stroll past those areas and take a peek. Sometimes there will even be little tearpad coupons at the Cosmetic Counter or in the isles next to the items. Sometimes Store Coupons will print out randomly at checkout when you get your receipt. Register Rewards print out at checkout when you get your receipt and they are based upon what items you purchased. Register Rewards are to be used on you next/future purchase and will be explained further as we go along. Register Rewards are considered Manufacturer Coupons by Walgreens.
You may use 1 Store Coupon + 1 Manufacturer (Mfg) Coupon per Item.
Walgreens does not pay overage on coupons or allow overage to be used toward your basket purchase. As stated in the coupon policy Walgreens will reduce the value of your Mfg Coupon down to the price of the item making if FREE for you.
You may use a B1G1 FREE Coupon on a B1G1 FREE Sale and get BOTH ITEMS FREE!
You may use (2) $/1 Mfg Coupons on a B1G1 FREE Sale plus any Store Coupons.
You may use (1) $/2 Mfg Coupon on a B1G1 FREE Sale plus any Store Coupons.
Walgreens Store Coupons will sometimes have quantity limits on them. In the past it did not matter how many items the cashier or manager let you purchase, scanning the In Ad Coupon once would reduce the price of the items purchased for all of them at once. However, as of recent, if the In Ad Coupon states Limit 3, the register at my Walgreens here is NOT reducing the price on any more than 3 in a transaction. So be aware of this.Register Rewards.... the trickiest part and the final piece to mastering couponing at Walgreens.
Register Rewards are considered Manufacturer Coupons. And keeping in mind the concept that you cannot use more than 1 Mfg Coupon per item... the number of Manufacturer Coupons, including Register Rewards, cannot exceed the number of items in your transaction. If you need to use Register Rewards to make your items FREE, and there ends up MORE Mfg Coupons + RR's than items in your cart, toss in what we call a FILLER ITEM. Scan the Walgreens Ad and make a little list ahead of time for Filler Item ideas such as $.10 Pencils, $.19 Royal Gelatin etc. Here is a sample transaction to help you view it to makes sense out of this.
Sales Ad Reads
Crest Toothpaste 4oz Sale $3, Receive $2 Register Reward, Like Paying $1
My Blog Reads
Crest Toothpaste 4oz Sale $3
USE $1/1 Crest Coupon P&G Insert
Receive $2 Register Reward
Final Price = FREE
When you go to Walgreens to BUY the Crest, to truly make it FREE you need to USE a $2 RR from a previous purchase PLUS get the $2 RR back from buying the Crest to make it FREE.
Give a $2 RR... Get a $2 RR... It's now a wash... now it really FREE :)
Next piece... notice that if you BUY Crest (1 item) and USE a $1 Coupon + a $2 RR you all of a sudden have 2 "Manufacturer" Coupons you are using on 1 Item. (Remember RR's are considered manufacturer coupons.) The cash register will be beeping at you. SO... grab what we call a FILLER ITEM. Anything really cheap, example $.10 pencil. NOW you have 2 items (Crest & Pencil) and 2 Mfg Coupons ($1/1 Crest + RR)... so no beeping :) Bloggers never tell you to add filler items when posting the coupon matchups. It's assumed you know to add it in if you are not buying other things that day. Which you may already be purchasing other things that don't have Mfg coupons. But if you were doing the Crest transaction as just the one item by itself, you would have to add the filler item. So basically you are walking out of the store with Crest PLUS a Pencil for only $.10. Count the final number of items in your cart that will be in one transaction, then count the final number of Mfg Coupons & RR's you need to use. Then you will know whether or not you will need to add filler items, and if so how many.
Walgreens will actually allow you to use that $2 RR from the Crest to buy another and do the transaction again to maximize your day. HOWEVER, you will NOT receive a $2 Register Reward Back!!!!! IF you use a $2 RR on an item that is received from previously purchasing the IDENTICAL item, you won't get another one back. Even if it's on a different day that week. So if you make multiple trips to Walgreens in a week, be very careful NOT to use the $2 Crest RR in any transaction where another Crest is being purchased! Even if there are 10 items, if that Crest is in the transaction, and you use the $2 Crest RR from previous day, you WON'T get another one.
Rolling Register Rewards.... basically this is when you buy a $10 Estroven and get a $10 RR back making it FREE. Then you turn and purchase a $10 Abrexin, use the $10 RR from the Estroven, and then get a $10 RR back. Then you do a 3rd transaction and purchase say 3 item that will be FREE with RR's, use the $10 RR from the Abrexin, and Receive (2)$3 RR's and a $4 RR back from the items purchased to make them truly FREE. And so on.... basically it's breaking your items up into more than one transaction so you can use the RR obtained from the 1st item on the 2nd transaction. The second transaction might not be any sale item at all. It may be that you have to make a necessity purchase anyways... so split the sale up, and receive the RR's in the 1st transaction and use toward the 2nd transaction. You will also want to notice that Register Rewards Expire in a 2 Week Timeframe. So be careful. I have had them expire on me before and it's very disappointing. If they do expire I try to make myself feel better knowing that there isn't a blogger out there who hasn't cried on their facebook page about forgetting to use them or having pressing family obligations and not being able to fit everything into their schedule to get to Walgreens to use them up. It happens. You most certainly want to make a conscious effort to NOT let them expire, as this is what's making the deals truly deals. Letting them lapse on a regular basis is defeating the purpose. And Walgreens will NOT under any circumstance extend grace to you on an expired RR, even a day out. It's NOT going to happen.
You can truly do amazing things with all these combinations of possibilities of ways to shop at Walgreens. Take it little by little and piece by piece. Come back to the page and ask me to post this again when you get a grasp on things better. Ask for clarification on anything in here you don't completely understand. Print this off and set it on your kitchen table while you're making your shopping list so you can figure it all out. Seeing things on paper for me make a lot more sense.
Hopefully these ideas can help you get the most out of shopping at Walgreens and save lots of money for your family.
~ Pam
