Extreme Couponing ~ Walgreen's Simplified!

I've run into a few people in parking lots lately asking me about couponing, seems that TLC's show Extreme Couponing, and NBC's Today Show publicity is really starting to get some people motivated. 

One of the biggest questions that I have been answering lately is how to save big at the drug stores.  Shopping the drug stores isn't really something that can be explained in a 5 minute conversation in the middle of the parking lot, so one by one, I will try to explain the drug store tactics in a post. 

Today's Extreme drug store lesson ~ Walgreen's.  Walgreen's a little different than the other drug stores as they don't currently have a loyalty card program in place.  (Although, I hear it is being tested in some parts of the country.)  So, in actuality, there is no limit to the number of items you can purchase. 

First we're going to dissect a few Walgreen's Ads:

There are 3 distinct sale types / deals that Walgreen's lists in their weekly sale ads.  Their first is an IN AD COUPON:

(Barcodes on this site are always blacked out to prevent fraudulent coupon use)

The in ad coupons that are in the weekly sale ads, are usually STORE COUPONS and, always contains a limit to the maximum number you can purchase in a single transaction.  Notice the above coupon states that there is a limit of 3.  You will get the sale price of 89¢ per box, up to 3 boxes, and only be required to use the single coupon.  Now if you have a manufacturer's coupon for the same product, you CAN stack the two coupons and use both for bigger savings.  However there is a catch here.  You can only use 1 coupon per item you have.  What does this mean?  Well it means you may be required to purchase what bloggers, and couponer's alike call a FILLER ITEM.  A filler item can be anything in the store, I tend to look at the end caps for a clearance item or go to the travel size section, and choose an item we use, that generally costs pennies, or at the very least under 50¢.  ( Single pencils can usually be found for around 10¢ which is always a great filler item.)

So let's say you want to purchase 3 boxes of the above product and use the coupon above, but you also have a manufacturer's coupon for $1.00 off 3 boxes.  Some stores will push through the coupon with just the above purchase and coupons because essentially you have 3 items and 2 coupons, other stores would require you to have 6 items (the total amount of items that the coupons require) in order to use both coupons, in that case, I would try and find 3 additional items (3 pencils for 30¢)

Here's how your 2nd hypothetical transaction would look like:

3 Boxes pasta - $2.67 ( with sale price on Store Coupon)
- $1.00 from manufacturer's coupon
+ 3 - 10¢ pencils
= $1.97

if your store doesn't require you to purchase an additional 3 items your total would now only be $1.67.

The second type of Weekly Sale listed in their ad is a Monthly Coupon Booklet Savings Deal like this:

The above picture is showing you three things.  The first is that the product is on sale for $1.99, the second, it's telling you is that there is a coupon in their monthly coupon booklet for $1.00 off.  These coupon booklets are found by the front door, next to their ads.  The final thing it's telling you is what the final price, if you used the coupon, would be.  What it does not tell you is, if you have a manufacturer's coupon  for say $1.00 off 1, than the price would now be FREE.  You will need a FILLER ITEM for this purchase, as you cannot have more coupons than you do items for your total purchase. 

The last type of Sale / Deal that appears in the weekly ad is a REGISTER REWARD DEAL.   This is the type of deal that I love the most, well aside from free items that is.  A Register Deal can be deceiving though and it takes a little time to fully learn.  Here's what it looks like in the ad:

Again, this type of sale is showing you 3 things, the first is the sale price, which in this case is $6.99.  The second thing you see, that if you purchase 1 of these products, you will get $2.00 in REGISTER REWARDS back when you check out.  Again the final item you see is that after you get your $2.00 back you will essentially only pay $4.99 for that product.  Now recently there was a $2.00 off 1 manufacturer's coupon available on this, which if you used it on this purchase, your total spent on this would now only be $2.99. 

Sounds great?  Well there's a little bit more to their REGISTER REWARDS than meets the eye.  You can ONLY purchase 1 of these at a time in order to get the Register Rewards back.  If you purchase 2 of these in these same transaction, you will only receive $2.00 in Register Rewards, NOT $4.00.  The way around this, is that you make mulitple transactions throughout the week.  (This is very easy to do if you, especially if you live close by to one.)  Some cashiers are very nice, and will pleasantly allow you to split a transaction up into two separate ones.  I will do this only if the store is not busy, and there isn't anyone else in line.  As much as I want and will save money, I will not be "that" person who holds up 8 or 10 people behind me. 

Unlike at CVS and at Rite Aid, your Register Rewards do not print out at the bottom of your receipt.  No, instead they print out from a Catalina machine located next to the register.  I have noticed that at some stores it may take an extra 5 or 10 seconds for the catalina machine to begin printing.  Know what you are suppose to receive back in Register Rewards before leaving the counter.  If the cashier looks at you, like "what are you waiting for?" simply reply, I am waiting for my Register Rewards to print out.  Register Rewards look like this:

Register Rewards can be used for just about anything in the store, except for gift cards and Federally regulated items such as tobacco and alcohol. 

Now there is one more stipulation you will need to know before making purchases with Register Rewards and for this exercise, we will be using the following format:

you purchase 3 items and have NO Register Rewards to apply to this purchase only 2 coupons for $1.00 each on 2 of the products:

Product A for $2.99, and you get back $3 in Register Rewards
Product B for $4.00 and you get back $2 in Register Rewards
Product C for $1.99 and you get back $1 in Register Rewards

Your first Out of Pocket Expense will be $6.98 plus tax if applicable. ($8.98 - $2.00 in coupons)  You will receive back $6 in Register Rewards, making your NET purchase only 98¢.

Now let's say that these 3 items are items that you want to add to your stockpile, so you will need to purchase more. 

If you purchase Product A and use your Product A Register Rewards from the first purchase to pay for the item, you WILL NOT receive back new Register Rewards.  You can however Purchase Product A and use the Register Rewards from Product B's first purchase, and get back NEW $3.00 Register Rewards.  If you have another $1.00 off coupon your purchase would look like this:

Product A Total = $2.99
You'll use $2 in RR's from Product B, and $1.00 coupon
= Total Out of Pocket Expense will be only Tax
You'll then get back $3 in NEW RR's
Your Net total for this purchase has now become a $2.00 Profit, less the tax you paid.

Bottom line is you can "ROLL" your RR's on every transaction, however you cannot purchase the same product with that RR.  This is where you will need to keep track of your Register Rewards, recieved from which products.  You can do this easily with multiple marked envelopes, this way you know what Register Rewards were received from which products. 

Why do we call it a "PROFIT" when we are paying for the item?  It's simple, if you go and purchase an item for 99¢, and you get back $1.00 in Register Rewards, and you have $1.00 off manufacturer's coupon, you are turning that $1.00 off coupon for a particular item into a $1.00 coupon off your next purchase on any item, the store has now essentially paid you to take the item. 

As always, be on the lookout for the weekly Buy 1 Get 1 FREE store sales.  If you can pair it with a Buy1 Get 1 FREE manufacturer's coupon, you'll get both items for FREE, and pay only tax if applicable. 

Questions?  You know what to do, leave a comment, and I'll answer it in the next Extreme Post.