Coupon Institute Week 3

Walgreens
This week we will have three parts:
1. Rules for shopping at Walgreens (and there is alot!)
2. This week's deals
3. Homework!  Deal scenarios to try shopping at Walgreens


MOMumental Savings at Walgreens:
-The key to saving at Walgreens is using a Register Reward in combination with a sale.  Register Rewards are like "Walgreens cash" that come out of a machine at the register after you pay.  They can be earned by buying a specific amount or number of items as advertised in the weekly ad.  This allows you to purchase items at their lowest possible price by combining manufacturer coupons, store coupons and the register rewards.  

-You do not need a store card to earn RR's

-At Walgreens (and most other stores) you cannot have more items than coupons.  Your coupon to item ratio must remain 1:1 or less.

-While I describe the RR"s as "Wags Cash" the register treats them as manufacturer coupons.  This means that if you do this transaction:
Triaminic--Buy 3, get $5 RR
and you use (3) $1.50/1 coupons (one for each bottle)
AND you use (1) $2/1 Store coupon
And you want o pay using $2 Register rewards
You will not have the 1:1 Ratio.
In this case, you will have 3 items and will be using 5 coupons (the RR reward counts as a Manuf. Q)
You will need 2 "filler" items to even out the ratio.  Plan these in advance!! You can usually find items under $1 in the weekly ad.

-If you are using in-ad coupons, cut them out BEFORE YOU GO!  This past week I paid full price for 2 Starbucks Frappicino and forgot to use the 2/$4 in ad Q because I had not cut it out.  DOH!


-You can only earn the RR once in a transaction.  If you are buying Hall's that will generate a $1 RR, and you buy 3 in one transaction, you will still only get $1.  Buy each one in a separate transaction to get those other two $1 RR's.

-You cannot "roll" RR from the same item.  If you get a $7 RR for Vaseline lotion, you cannot go buy another Vaseline lotion, use the $7 RR and get ANOTHER $7 RR.  Alternate transactions instead.  Buy the Vaseline in one transaction, another item in a second transaction to use the $7 RR, then buy the second Vaseline in the third transaction.

-RR cannot be replaced (they are like cash) and usually expire 2 weeks from the date they were generated.


This sounds confusing, so let's look at the weekly and monthly deals and I will give you some scenarios to try this week.