Walgreens 101

Walgreen’s takes some getting used to and is very different than it’s competitor CVS when it comes to using coupons and Register Rewards. I will try to make this as easy and simple as possible so that you can save some serious money at Walgreen’s.

First the Facts

Walgreen’s ads run Sunday through Saturday
Accepts coupons at face value (no doubling)
Allows stacking of store coupon with a manufacturer coupon
Offers rainchecks unless stated otherwise in ad (rare but can happen on certain offers)
Register Reward are considered manufacturer coupons
Cannot use Register Reward for an offer to get same offer again. Must be used for other offer or it will not print.

Weekly In-Ad Coupons

They are usually in every weekly ad and look like the above coupon. You can use a manufacturer coupon with an in-ad coupon, this is referred to as stacking coupons. So if water was regularly $3.99 the in-ad coupon would make it $3.49. If you had say $1 off coupon for the water you could stack the coupon with the in-ad coupon making it $2.49 out of pocket.

Monthly Instant Value Coupons

The Instant Value Coupons are store coupons as well and are commonly referred to as IVC coupons. They come out once a month and are usually found near the front of store at the bottom of the weekly ad rack. If you don’t see any ask the cashier for one. These cannot be stacked with the weekly in-ad coupons but can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon.

Register Rewards

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Register Rewards are considering the same as a manufacturer coupon and are commonly referred to as RR or RR’s. All Register Rewards are a limit of one, meaning you can’t get two of the same offer in the same transaction. The rule for using them is that you have to make sure than you have the same amount of items as you do coupons. So if you have a buying that water mentioned above you better snag another cheap filler item for each item over the amount of coupons.

Earning Register Rewards

Much like CVS you get a Register Reward when you purchase a particular item that generates a Register Reward after purchase. See example below taken from weekly ad ending 9/18/10.

You can buy Impruv lotion 6.8oz for $4.99 and get a $4 Register Reward. Now add coupons to the mix and save even more! See example below…

Impruv Lotion 6.8oz $4.99
Use $2/1 Impruv Dry Skin Care Solution printable
Pay $2.99 (after using coupon)
Get $4 in RR (per offer in weekly ad)
FREE plus overage after coupon and RR!

Sometimes Register Reward offers will be for multiple items like the following example from weekly ad ending 8/14/10.

wagsbz8-8

In this case you would buy the items you need that get the most for your money.

Rolling Your Register Rewards

This is the term for when you take the Register Reward you’ve earned and apply them towards your next shopping trip. I will do an example from the Walgreens ad good through 9/18/10.

Transaction #1:
Do the above Impruv Lotion Deal
Impruv Lotion 6.8oz $4.99
Use $2/1 Impruv Dry Skin Care Solution printable
Pay $2.99, Get $4 in RR
FREE plus overage after coupon and RR!

Transaction #2:
Buy the following items:
Carmex Skin Care Cream 4oz or Lotion 5.5oz $4.99 (MONTHLY RR DEAL)
Total = $4.99 (no coupon available)
Now use the $4 Register Reward from transaction #1 = $0.99

You will get a $4 Register Reward from the Carmex Skin Care to use towards next purchase.

Just remember with Register Rewards you are NOT able to use a Register Reward you got for Carmex Skin Care to get another Carmex Skin Care. It has to be for a completely different offer otherwise your RR will not print out.

Coupon Rules

When purchasing a single item, Walgreens accepts one manufacturer coupon and applicable Walgreens coupon(s) for the purchase of a single item, unless prohibited by either coupon offer. (Commonly referred to as stacking coupons.)
The coupon amount must be reduced if it exceeds the value of the item after other discounts or coupons are applied. (For example, a $5.00 coupon for a $4.99 item will result in a $4.99 coupon value).
When items are featured in a Buy One, Get One Free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the items being purchased.
Walgreens accepts valid internet/print at home coupons.
The number of manufacturer coupons, including Register Rewardsmanufacturer coupons, may not exceed the number of items in the transaction.

Read Walgreen’s Official Coupon Policy for further info.

Presenting Coupons at Register

I’ve been asked many times if there is a specific order in which to present the various coupons at Walgreen’s so I’ll explain how I present them if that helps you out.