Walgreens 101

Walgreens offers register rewards (RR) for certain items each week, you will see these advertised in their local ad. showing the price of the item, the amount of Register Rewards you will receive to use on your next purchase, and the “Like Paying” price after the Register Reward. In some cases you will get the entire purchase price back in the form of an RR.

You can use manufacturers coupons to bring your total down more. So for an example if  Colgate is on special this week for $2.99 get $2.00 back in a register reward and you use a $1 off coupon you’ve now technically gotten the product for free minus tax owed.

Stacking coupons at Walgreens

Stacking refers to using more then one coupon per item. Now you can’t use 2 manufactures coupons for one item but you can use one Walgreens coupon and one manufacturers coupon.

Walgreens offers a monthly pamplet of store coupons, called IVC’s = Instant Value Coupons. This pamphlet is usually located near the front of the store by the sales ad display. By stacking coupons you can get some great deals. Walgreens will also have store coupons referred to as “in-ad coupons” in their ad each week.

The confusing part of Register Rewards

Register Rewards (RR) do not roll that means, you can’t use the RR you just got to get back in line and use on the same RR deal. Your RR won’t print! This is their way of ensuring you aren’t “clearing shelves”.  For example say I buy Colgate for $2.99 and get an RR for $2.99 if they did not have this rule I could use the $2.99 I just got to get in line and buy another Colgate with and just keep doing this until they were gone. They figure if you have to take the money out of your pocket you’ll think twice!

Here’s the confusing part: Because of this rule you can’t use an RR from a company to pay for an RR deal from the same company. Confused yet?

Okay let me explain. If there is an RR deal on Kelloggs this week say Special K and you get an RR for that deal. If you try and use that RR for another Kelloggs RR deal whether it be that week or anytime in the future your RR probably won’t print. It’s that shelf clearing thing they have not programmed their computers to stop you from using an RR on just that deal but on any RR by the same company….I guess that was easier on their IT guys!

Your RR should have the name of the company printed on it so that should help you keep things straight!

Number of coupons and RR used

 At Walgreens the number of coupons cannot exceed the number of items being purchased. Your RR is considered a manufacturers coupon, in fact it actually says manufacturers coupon on top!  

You can stack a MQ or RR with a store coupon, the store coupon will not count in your total. In other words if I buy 4 items I can use 4 Walgreens coupons and 4 MQ or RR’s. Just make sure the value of the RR’s won’t be more then the total of all items. 

If you’d like to get rid of some of those RR’s you can use “fillers”.  These are low priced items you throw in your order so that you may use some of those RR’s. You’re bringing up your total number of items so you can use the RR…again just make sure you don’t go over the dollar amount as the register will beep.

 I will often use the caramels up by the register to throw in so that I may use an RR or two to bring down my OOP (out of pocket) expense. Or boxes of Jello, Holiday Pencils, anything low priced that I might need or want.

For the Locals

RR’s can be used at Jewel, usually you can use an unlimited amount to bring down the cost of your grocery bill. If they give you a hassle point out that it says “manufacturers coupon” at the top.

You can use these at Dominicks as well but they will usually limit you to one per transaction. Also a new rule is the RR must come from a company that Dominicks actually does business with. If they sell something from that company at their store you’re good to go.

Dominicks will also take expired RR’s!

Rainchecks at Walgreens
Unfortunately you can’t get an RR on a raincheck. They will guarantee the sale price but if you come back and use your raincheck for an item when it is no longer on a RR deal you won’t get an RR!

So what does that mean? Well, if there is something you just have to have make sure and get there early before they sell out!