Walgreens 101

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I would like to introduce you to the Walgreen’s Register Rewards program.   RR = REGISTER REWARDS

When you purchase certain items and/or a certain dollar amount of items, a coupon will print out that is good on your next purchase at Walgreens.  (I view this as money but they call it a coupon)

I almost view this strategy as a game.  Here’s what you do to maximize your savings the key is to combine a Register Rewards producing deal or a great sale price with a manufacturer’s coupon and possibly even a store coupon. This allows you to purchase items at the lowest possible price so you can build your stockpile at a minimal out of pocket expenses.

However, there are some important differences that you need to be aware of to take advantage of the program to its fullest:

• Walgreens does not a card for you to earn RR’s

• You will only earn RR’s once per deal per transaction. In other words, if Excedrin is producing $2 in RRs in a given week, you must purchase each bottle in a separate transaction to earn the RR’s. If you purchase 3 bottles in one transaction, you would only receive $2 in RR’s.

• RR’s cannot be “rolled” on like transactions. Using the Excedrin example again, you could not purchase one bottle of Excedrin and use the RR’s received to purchase a second bottle. The Register Rewards will not print out when the second transaction is completed. Instead to roll RRs, you need to alternate it with another deal. So if Pantene was producing $2 in RRs as well that week, you could purchase the Excedrin, use the Excedrin RR’s to purchase your Pantene, and then turn around and use the Pantene RR’s to purchase the Excedrin again.  This is the part that was confusing for me in the beginning.

• While RR’s are cash to me, the Walgreens registers treat them as manufacturer coupons. You MUST remember Walgreens only allows you to use as many manufacturer coupons as items on the transaction. This creates a need for what we call “filler items.”   If you have a coupon for every item you’re purchasing and wish to pay with accumulated RR’s from a previous transaction  you will need inexpensive filler items.  I always look for filler items in the seasonal isle.  For example, around Easter they usually have cheap .25 cent cups or pencils that make great filler items!

Finally, a word to the wise — treat your RR’s like cash. They cannot be replaced if lost. Generally RR’s will expire two weeks from when they are generated, so watch those expiration dates!

Happy Shopping iSavers!