Walgreens 101

This is for the new bargain shoppers out there. I was skeptical of shopping for low prices at Walgreens (WAGS), becuase at first glance, it is not a great deal. I wanted to check it out further though sicne there are Walgreens stores near where I live. HOWEVER, with a little research, I realized that you can get lots of things for free, cheap or even make money at Walgreens. It is worth your time!
Here's some basics:

• Walgreens offers Register Rewards these are catalinas (the coupons that print at the register when you check out) for some purchases. You usually have 2 weeks to spend your RR and they are good on anything in the store unless otherwise noted. (read the fine print.)This week for example, there is a body wash advertised for $3.99 with a $4 RR. I purchased this and used a $2 Manufacturer coupon, paying only $2 out of pocket. I then received $4 in RR. A $2 money maker!


• There are rules with Register Rewards: You can only do one advertised Register Reward deal per transaction (meaning in the expample I gave, if I bought 2 body washes, only 1 RR would have printed.) Also, if you spend it on an identical item, no RR will print. Meaning if I tried to go in a second day and buy another body wash with the RR I just reeived, another will not print. The amount of RR you are spending can also not exceed the amount of your pruchase. Meaning, you can use a $10 RR on a $9.99 purchase - you would have to spend at least $10.


• Stacking coupons: On a single item you can use a Walgreens store coupon AND a Manufacturer coupon. This = some great prices some times. Look for WAGS coupons in the weekly circular, WAGS coloring books for kids, and speical flyers at the front of the store.


• Look for clearance items. You can still use Manufacturer coupons on clearance items. This is a great time of year to buy sunscreen an insect repellant. WAGS is trying to clear their shelves of these items and the savings can be huge or even FREE!


• You cannot have more coupons than items. WAGS counts RR as coupons for this purchase. Be sure to count the items in your cart before checking out. If you have 4 Manufact. coupons, 2 WAGS store coupons and are spending 2 RR, then you must be purchasing at least 8 items to purchase.


• For previews of other upcoming circulars (you will want to plan how to spend thos RR!) and everything else WAGS, visit www.iheartwags.com. This is a great site that spells out every possible scenerio for shopping WAGS.

On a side note - Rite Aid and CVS stores also have great deals and are worth checking out if you live near one. Do your homework and save big!