How to shop at CVS
Simple steps and rules you need to know
- You MUST get a CVS Extra Care Card. You just ask for it at the register. The limit is one per household. You CANNOT get the sales prices without this card!
- You MUST get a Green Bag Tag. Costs $1.00. This little tag allows you to put your items in your own reusable bag everytime you shop, BUT, you must present it to your cashier so they can scan it. Each 4 scans gives you $1.00 Extra Bucks. You can only scan it once per day.
- You MUST learn CVS's coupon policy located on our CVS tab
- You MUST learn what Extra Care Bucks or Extra Bucks are and how to "roll" them.
- You MUST register your card online to receive coupons in your inbox. I often recieve $4 off of $20 coupons that I can print from home and use in a single transaction along with coupons and ExtraBucks. Only one can be used at a time and your transaction total (before coupons) must total the amount stated on your coupon. You will get a coupon automatically when you register!
Let's get started. Now that you have your CVS card, you need to know how to use it. This card is presented to the cashier before your items are scanned so that you may receive the sale prices. When an item is advertised as follows:
...it means you can recieve Extra Bucks if you purchase all the qualifying items. This is what they look like.
Extra Bucks are treated as gift cards at CVS and you can use as many as needed in a single transaction in addition to your coupons. This is how you "roll" them. By using them on your next transaction along with coupons and match-ups, and items that will give you MORE ExtraBucks, you will MAXIMIZE your savings. The goal is to pay as little out of pocket as possible. So start "rolling" baby!!
CVS Coupons: These coupons are only good at CVS. They are located in the weekly ads and some are on the CVS website for you to print at home. You are able to use one store coupon in addition to one manufacturer coupon per item.
Multiple Transactions
There are several advantages to doing multiple transactions – 1.) If you’re using a CVS money off coupon [for example a $5 off $20 purchase coupon] breaking up your transaction can save you money and 2.) You can use the Extra Bucks that print from your first transaction to pay for your next transaction.
Here's an example:
Let’s say, Revlon lipstick is on sale for $6.00 each and you earn $6.00 in ExtraBucks with a limit of three. In the first transaction you will pay $6.00 out of pocket and earn $6.00 in ExtraBucks. Next, you will purchase 1 more Revlon lipsticks for $6.00, but this time you’ll pay using the $6.00 in EB you earned in your first transaction. You pay nothing out of pocket (except tax) and earn another $6.00 ExtraBucks! Repeat until your limit is reached! Your final out of pocket cost is $6.00 for 3 lipsticks. and you still have $6.00 ExtraBucks. Making the lipsticks FREE. Get it?? That's how we roll!!General rules:
- Only one manufacturer coupon allowed per item plus a store coupon. This is "stacking" your coupons.
- Only one CVS $X off $XX allowed per transaction.
- Any amount of Extra Bucks allowed per transaction.
CVS Coupon machine/price checker:
CVS is pretty easy once you get used to it. Just remember to give your cashier the manufacturer coupons and store coupons first and your Extra Bucks last. That way all your coupons are deducted properly and your Extra Bucks will be applied correctly.
THE ART of WAGS
I'll admit, Walgreens is a tricky one. I suggest you take baby steps until you get it down. But don't get discouraged. Once you master the "Art of Wags" , you will LOVE it!
WALGREENS CORPORATE COUPON POLICY
You MUST familiarize your self with Walgreens Coupon Policy. Print it and keep it with you every time you shop at Walgreens. That way, if your sweet little cashier says you can't use a coupon, and you know you can, whip out your policy and KINDLY, point out that you can in fact use the coupon at hand.
Here's the 411 on Walgreens...
REGISTER REWARDS
Become familiar with Register Rewards (RR). Register Rewards (a.k.a. Catalina coupons) are manufacturer coupons that print out from a Catalina machine at the register after you have completed your transaction. The Register Rewards print out after you buy a participating product, which may be advertised in Walgreens weekly ad. There are also Register Reward deals that are not advertised in the weekly ads but are posted inside the store. Be on the look out for these.
WALGREENS CORPORATE COUPON POLICY
You MUST familiarize your self with Walgreens Coupon Policy. Print it and keep it with you every time you shop at Walgreens. That way, if your sweet little cashier says you can't use a coupon, and you know you can, whip out your policy and KINDLY, point out that you can in fact use the coupon at hand.
Here's the 411 on Walgreens...
REGISTER REWARDS
Become familiar with Register Rewards (RR). Register Rewards (a.k.a. Catalina coupons) are manufacturer coupons that print out from a Catalina machine at the register after you have completed your transaction. The Register Rewards print out after you buy a participating product, which may be advertised in Walgreens weekly ad. There are also Register Reward deals that are not advertised in the weekly ads but are posted inside the store. Be on the look out for these.
CATALINA MACHINE
Register Rewards
These expire! Use them on time.
Register Rewards are like having cash. But, they count as a coupon. You MUST have the same number of items as you do coupons. Even if you are stacking coupons. If you have more coupons to use than products, look for “filler” items to add to your purchase. Fillers should be inexpensive items, (no more than $0.25) and they allow you to use all your coupons at checkout. Great options for filler items include clearance items, small candies, and pencils. It's simple; if you have 5 coupons, you MUST have 5 items to purchase.
RR's DO NOT ROLL IF PURCHASING THE SAME ITEM. IT HAS TO BE A DIFFERENT ITEM.
This means that if your receive a $1 RR for purchasing Crest Toothpaste , you cannot use this same RR to purchase another Crest Toothpaste in that same week and expect another $1RR to be generated. Their registers are smart. However, if the sale is for the following week, the registers reset and will print another RR if the sale repeats. (write what you purchased in very small letters on the back of the RR so you won’t mix them up)
In order to stock up on items that have a limit of one, you will have to buy them one by one...bummer, I know. However, you can purchase different Register Reward qualifying items in the same transaction, and you will receive one RR for each DIFFERENT qualifying Register Reward item purchased. Confused??
Let me break it down:
Example:
I bought 1 Glade candle: received $2 RR.
I used that $2 RR to purchase Crest toothpaste that generated a $1RR.
I used the $1 RR from crest toothpaste to buy another glade candle which gave me the $2RR again.
Get it? Roll them with different items ONLY.
WALGREENS COUPONS
These are coupons you can only use at Walgreens. They are at the front of the store when you walk in. Called IVC's (instant value coupons) They are small rectangular booklets with tear-out coupons in them. These booklets change each month so make sure you pick yours up each month. I like to get at least four booklets so I can stock up when an item is very cheap or free. Sometimes there are good coupons on the Walgreens website that you can print from home as well. They are also all over the weekly ads.
IF YOU ARE STACKING COUPONS:
THERE IS A CORRECT WAY TO HAND OVER THE COUPONS AT THE REGISTER
When you are using a combination of Walgreens coupons and manufacturer coupons, you MUST hand over the manufacturer coupons FIRST and then the Walgreens store coupons. Why? In order to get coupon overage which can then be used towards other items(you won't get cash back). If you use the manufacturer coupon after the Walgreens store coupon, the register will beep to indicate that the value of the coupon is greater than the value of the item…(AND THEY WILL REFUSE YOUR COUPON) BUT, if you give the cashier the manufacturer coupon first, the register won’t react. Both coupons will go through without any beeps, and you’ll get the coupon overage! I just hate those BEEPS! Hand over the RR's last.
IMPORTANT TIPS
If you plan on buying large quantities of an item, you can call your store ahead of time to place an order for your quantity. It usually arrives in one week. Make sure you have your coupons handy, because they may ask you to pay for it before hand at the store. This is much better than clearing out the shelves. Another thing you might consider is getting a rain check for the items. This ensures that you will get the sale price in the following weeks when they restock. Just make sure you buy it before your coupons expire.
Rain Checks: Walgreens does issue rain checks. Rain checks are good for in-store purchases only and valid for 30 days.
If you are planning to do multiple transactions, you may want to check out at the Cosmetics counter. This counter is not as crowded, so the cashier usually has time to deal with all the coupons that you have to use and even do multiple transactions. You might even have time to chit-chat and get to know your cashier. This is definitely a PLUS! Don’t forget to ask for extra manufacturer coupons for cosmetic-related items. They usually have a stash of them at this counter.
B1G1 FREE items: If there is a B1G1 Free sale, you can use a coupon for each item.
If you have a B1G1 Free coupon, you can only use 1 of those and get both items FREE. It's in the coupon policy
Be on the look out for clearance items! There are two kinds of clearance tags: orange and yellow. The orange tags are issued from the corporate office, and you can find them at any Walgreens store. The yellow tags are specific to each individual store. You can often pair up clearance items with Walgreens and/or manufacturer coupons and score items for FREE!
Try not to make things complicated for yourself. If you prepare well at home, things should go smoothly at the store. Be polite to your cashier. You have to understand that there are some couponers who don't understand the coupon policy at Walgreens and "throw a fit" at the register, which gives all of us couponers a bad name. Your cahier has seen the worst of them, trust me. The cashiers are just doing their job and none of them want to lose it. Occasionally you will get someone unwilling, but if you go prepared, you will be ok. I remember my first shopping trip with coupons. I got so nervous it wasn’t even funny. But I was prepared and it was awesome when the cashier was “WOWED” as she rung up all my coupons and my total was $0.36 for 7 items. She said: YOU GO GIRL!! I was thrilled to say the least!!
Make sure your items match your coupon EXACTLY by size of the product and amount of products needed for the coupon to work. Don’t give your cashier extra work. Do your math before you get to the check out counter so that you know what to expect. Your cashier will love you for this!
ONE LAST NOTE:
The Managers at each store have the final decision on what coupons they will accept. There has been times that I just can’t use a coupon no matter how hard I try, simply because the register beeped and the cashier or manager won’t take the time to override it or put the transaction through correctly. In this case I tell them I don’t want the item. I don’t stress over it because the item will most definitely go an sale again and I will have a coupon for it again. It’s not a big deal. It is a bit frustrating if you had a plan at home and aren’t able to get everything on your list at the store because it is out of stock. But don’t sweat it! Get a rain check!
And if you must....
If you have an issue with the manager, note the manager’s name and the time the incident occurred and then call Customer Service. The phone number is 1-800-WALGREENS or 1-800-925-4733 or you can always send an email or write to them as well:
Walgreen’s Corporate Office
200 Wilmot Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
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