Looking to save money but don't want to play the coupon game at every store? Start out at one! Let's explore Walgreens! I love couponing at Walgreens, think about it! Contemporary societal norms encourage hygeine and lookin' gud. You can save beaucoup de dollars by purchasing makeup, personal care items, baby items, etc. at Walgreens, and even food too by utilizing the Register Rewards system combined with coupons!
I've tried to find the best explaination of Walgreens 101, and found that I Am A Money Magnet has the best explaination. Here is their excerpt, all credit goes to I Am A Money Magnet for translating coupon confusion to makin' bank couponin deals! ;)
There are several ways to save at Walgreeens:
In Conclusion…. Start small and don’t give up! Practice makes perfect.
In-Ad Coupons: These are coupons that are found inside the weekly Walgreens ad. The weekly ads can be found in the store and in your weekly Sunday newspaper. In-ad coupons can be stacked {combined with} manufacturer coupons to give you even greater savings. You don’t have to tear these out of the ad, the cashier can just scan them.
In-Store Coupon Booklets: Monthly, Walgreens publishes in-store coupon booklets. At my store these are located next to the weekly ad. The coupons in the in-ad store coupon booklets can be combined with manufacturer coupons as well. Again, you don’t have to tear these out of the booklet the cashier can just scan them. Tip: You only need (1) Walgreens Store Coupon even if you’re purchasing several of that item. The register is set up to automatically apply the coupon to each product you’re purchasing.
Register Rewards: A Register Reward is a coupon that prints after you purchase (buy) a qualifying product(s). Register Rewards print at the checkout from what’s called a “catalina machine.” Register Rewards expire 2 weeks from the date they print. Register Rewards can be used like cash {some restrictions apply- no alcohol, cigs, stamps, etc}. Qualifying Register Rewards products can be found in the weekly Walgreens ad.
Many times when you combine Register Reward deals with coupons you end up making money on your purchases! For example: Let’s say Pantene Shampoo is $3.00 and you earn a $3 RR when you purchase it. You find a coupon for $1.00 off Pantene and end up paying $2.00 out of pocket and earn a $3.00 RR. That’s a $1.00 profit! Tip: At some point you’ll probably have a cashier tell that your RR didn’t print because you used a manufacturer coupon. DON’T BELIEVE THEM, that isn’t true. Sometimes RR just don’t print. Talk to the manager about it. If they can’t make it right, return the items and try again another day.
What you need to know about Register Rewards.
1.) You CANNOT use Register Rewards to pay for the same item that earned you the Register Reward in the first place. If you do, your Register Reward WILL NOT print. Register Rewards do not “roll.”
For example: Let’s say Dove deodorant is $3.00 and you earned a $3.00 Register Reward for purchasing it. You cannot use the $3.00 RR you just earned to purchase another Dove deodorant. If you do, your $3.00 RR will not print.
To make the best use of your Register Rewards, use them to purchase other Register Reward generating items.
2.) You MUST have as many items as you have coupons/Register Rewards (in-ad store coupons do not count towards this total) or you’ll hear the dreaded register “beep.”
For example: Let’s say you’re ready to checkout and inside your cart are four items.
1-Colgate Toothpaste-$2.00- $1.00 MQ = $1.00 OOP (out of pocket)
1-Dawn Dish Soap-$1.00 OOP
1-Glade Candle-$3.00-$1.00 MQ= $2.00 OOP
1-Revlon Eye Shadow-$4.00 OOP
In-Store Coupon Booklets: Monthly, Walgreens publishes in-store coupon booklets. At my store these are located next to the weekly ad. The coupons in the in-ad store coupon booklets can be combined with manufacturer coupons as well. Again, you don’t have to tear these out of the booklet the cashier can just scan them. Tip: You only need (1) Walgreens Store Coupon even if you’re purchasing several of that item. The register is set up to automatically apply the coupon to each product you’re purchasing.
Register Rewards: A Register Reward is a coupon that prints after you purchase (buy) a qualifying product(s). Register Rewards print at the checkout from what’s called a “catalina machine.” Register Rewards expire 2 weeks from the date they print. Register Rewards can be used like cash {some restrictions apply- no alcohol, cigs, stamps, etc}. Qualifying Register Rewards products can be found in the weekly Walgreens ad.
Many times when you combine Register Reward deals with coupons you end up making money on your purchases! For example: Let’s say Pantene Shampoo is $3.00 and you earn a $3 RR when you purchase it. You find a coupon for $1.00 off Pantene and end up paying $2.00 out of pocket and earn a $3.00 RR. That’s a $1.00 profit! Tip: At some point you’ll probably have a cashier tell that your RR didn’t print because you used a manufacturer coupon. DON’T BELIEVE THEM, that isn’t true. Sometimes RR just don’t print. Talk to the manager about it. If they can’t make it right, return the items and try again another day.
What you need to know about Register Rewards.
1.) You CANNOT use Register Rewards to pay for the same item that earned you the Register Reward in the first place. If you do, your Register Reward WILL NOT print. Register Rewards do not “roll.”
For example: Let’s say Dove deodorant is $3.00 and you earned a $3.00 Register Reward for purchasing it. You cannot use the $3.00 RR you just earned to purchase another Dove deodorant. If you do, your $3.00 RR will not print.
To make the best use of your Register Rewards, use them to purchase other Register Reward generating items.
2.) You MUST have as many items as you have coupons/Register Rewards (in-ad store coupons do not count towards this total) or you’ll hear the dreaded register “beep.”
For example: Let’s say you’re ready to checkout and inside your cart are four items.
1-Colgate Toothpaste-$2.00- $1.00 MQ = $1.00 OOP (out of pocket)
1-Dawn Dish Soap-$1.00 OOP
1-Glade Candle-$3.00-$1.00 MQ= $2.00 OOP
1-Revlon Eye Shadow-$4.00 OOP
______________________________________
Total Before Coupons: $10.00
Total After Coupons-$7.00
You have a total of 4 items and 2 manufacturer coupons. You want to pay using your Register Rewards and you discover that you have a $4 RR, a $2 RR and a $1 RR. Now you have a total of 4 items and 5 coupons. So, to be able to use all of your Register Rewards at checkout you’ll need to grab a “filler” item. This is something inexpensive {a caramel, candy bar, gum, pencil, etc} that will get you item number up so you’ll be able to use all of your Register Rewards.
Total After Coupons-$7.00
You have a total of 4 items and 2 manufacturer coupons. You want to pay using your Register Rewards and you discover that you have a $4 RR, a $2 RR and a $1 RR. Now you have a total of 4 items and 5 coupons. So, to be able to use all of your Register Rewards at checkout you’ll need to grab a “filler” item. This is something inexpensive {a caramel, candy bar, gum, pencil, etc} that will get you item number up so you’ll be able to use all of your Register Rewards.
Tip: If you get to register and find that it “beeps” and won’t accept your last register reward {even though you’re sure that you matched items to coupons and all that jazz} grab another filler item and add it to your order. This works for me 99% of the time!
3.) Order Matters. There seems to an ongoing debate about the best order to hand over your coupons to avoid “beeps” at the register. Here’s how I hand over my coupons.
-Manufacturer Coupons
-Store Coupons
-Register Rewards
-Manufacturer Coupons
-Store Coupons
-Register Rewards
Rain Checks: Walgreens will issue rain checks for items that are out of stock. If you have coupons that don’t expire for awhile, it’s a good idea to get a rain check. However, it’s important to remember that register reward items will only produce register rewards during the week it is on sale.
In Conclusion…. Start small and don’t give up! Practice makes perfect.
If you experience problems related to your Register Reward catalina:
Contact the Catalina company at 888-322-3814. You will need to have your receipt in front of when you call.
If you experience store related problems:
Call Corporate Customer Service: 877-250-5823 OR Send An Email
Eeee! Get Excited! I've made quite a few Walgreens posts of my deals! If you are a newbie to the Register Reward program, check out WildforWags.com for "starter" scenarios!
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