Savings with Style!

Start Saving with Style with Southern Coupon Belle! I'm now COUPONING IN CoMo!
What happens when a Coupon Expert in one region of the USA moves to another area of the country? I have started over learning new stores, coupon policies and building a reasonable stock pile and savings routine from scratch since October 1, 2011. I was an expert in Atlanta and the South but now happily reside in Columbia, Missouri!

I've searched other blogs and sites but I can't find someone else in my shoes so hopefully reading how I started over can help you! Whether you are a seasoned couponer in a new area OR a beginner- I know I can help walk you through what to do and help you start saving big! Starting over has made me realize how newbies to coupons feel and made me walk a grocery store aisle or two in a beginner's shoes again! Email me at southerncouponbelle@gmail.com and let me know how I can help! Thanks for reading and taking this journey with me!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Walgreens 101

We had a great shop at Walgreens today so I decided it's time to do a post about how to shop at Walgreens.

First some terms to get familiar with:
ESC- Easy Saver Catalog
ESCs can be found in a display as soon as you enter the store. They are small catalogs just a little longer and wider than a dollar bill. They contain the rebates for the month and coupons for various items.
In Ad Coupon- These are coupons included in each week's sale circular. When you use CouponMom.com to generate your Walgreens list- she will not only match the manufacturer coupon to the item but also indicate when you need to have an in-ad coupon to get the best price.
RR- Register Rewards
RRs are just like ECBs and they print out after your purchase. CM will let you know when an item will generate a RR. RRs can only be used one at a time for each purchase.
WAGS- A common abbreviation for Walgreens on deal posts.

When you have items that qualify for rebate- it is so easy to collect online with your receipt. Just always keep your receipt and I always come straight home, put the receipt by the computer and enter that night so I don't miss out on a rebate. Not getting the rebate and paying for the item up front won't benefit you at all! Go to www.walgreens.com and scroll down about halfway of the home page. Click on Easy Saver Rebates. You can view the rebates for the month in Adobe if you click on the left, "Click this month's tally sheet." If you have a receipt you are ready to claim, click on "Claim Rebates." Click on Start/Add Receipt. Now, select the rebates you purchased on this particular receipt and click Continue. All you have to do is enter the Receipt Reference Number which is located at the top of the receipt and called RFN#. When finished, click Save Receipt and you are done! Just keep adding receipts during the month. Super easy and only takes a couple of minutes to complete!

You have two options on how you would like to collect your rebates. You can just let the duration of the rebate period run out and they will mail you a check very quickly after the rebate duration. Or you can ask for a Walgreens gift card and get a 10% bonus! You just need to let Walgreens know you want to take that option before the duration period ends. If you already have a gift card then you can give that GC's number online and they will download your amount. You will receive an email that the amount has been added.

One thing to remember is that you can only claim once so don't complete the month until you know you've done all the deals you want to participate in.

The best way to optimize your savings at WAGS is to do small shops, doing any purchase that will generate a RR first. That way you can use the RR to purchase the next items so your out of pocket cost for rebate items is minimal. I've going to post my shop next so I can show you how we did it and everything we got for about $6.00 when we get our rebate back!

Let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything you want me to elaborate more.
Walgreens is fun and you can get great stuff for next to nothing!

5 comments:

Prohomemaker.Com said...

^Great^ post!! After scoring at Rite Aid this week, my next learning task was how to do Walgreens, and here it is! Thank you *so* much!

And, could you post a clarification, on the Register Rewards, do you have to tell 'em to take it, or how does that work? That's still a little hazy for me. Maybe a new post? :-)

Traci said...

Hey! You would hand the RR to the cashier with your coupons. RRs look just like a catalina you would get at the grocery store. Like I said, you can only use one at a time. The register will beep.

Prohomemaker.Com said...

Thanks you *so* much ... I am doing my Walgreens studying tonight, so thoroughly reviewed WAGS 101. Thanks for knowing how to use -- and what to expect with RR.

New2Qs said...

I've read on CouponMom that Walgreens is having some issues with the online rebate system. This will be my first month to participate. Would you suggest I go ahead and do the online thing or regular mail? I don't want to lose the OOP money I've invested in these products.

Second ? - When I went to WAGS today, they only had two Revlon Creme Lip Gloss' on the shelf. They were BOGO. So, I purchased them both paying 9.99. Now, I want to send it off for the rebate. Do you anticipate any problems with this transaction? (If I get the rebate, I will actually be receiving 2 of the items for free!) Had this product not been listed in the rebate catalog, I would never have purchased. If I don't receive the rebate for it, I would prefer to go ahead and return it. What do you suggest?

THANKS!

Traci said...

NEW2Qs-
I just got back in town and read your comment. Will you email me at Southerncouponbelle@comcast.net and discuss where you saw that there are problems? I've been doing WAG rebates for 3 years with no problems and I'm curious. I'd appreciate your help so I make sure I keep everyone here on top of things.