Here are the facts about Walgreens:
1) They will stack a SC with a MC.
2) They will NOT accept two coupons if you are only buying one item excluding statement number one. I'll explain this more in a minute.
3) Their Register Rewards (RR) expire quickly (two weeks tops), where as ECBs usually expire in one month.
4) Use your RR, then MC, then SC.
5) You can't use a RR from one item, to buy that same item and get another RR (unlike the ECB program).
6) Very store dependent as to whether they are nice or not.
Walgreens has what they call their Register Rewards program (no card required). However, it does not work the same or as well as the CVS program. So look back at statement number 2 "They will NOT accept two coupons if you are only buying one item excluding statement number one." So for example, say they have Pantene on sale for $3.50 per bottle and you have a $1 MC and a $2 RR from last week, you can not use both even though the total of coupons is less than the total purchase amount. Therefore, you would have to have a filler item. There are usually some candys for very little that you can fill in with; however, I try not to do this much because then you are not saving as much. This is where a $2/2 MC comes in handy, because you buy two and then you can use your MC and your RR. However, here is where Walgreens is stinky too. You have to remember statement number 4, use your RR first then your MC because the computer won't accept the RR after the MC, but it will if you do the MC then the RR. Crazy, I know.
For the sake of trying to make this as easy to understand as possible, I am going to just walk you through my transactions this week. Walgreens is difficult, but worth it, if you can figure it out.
Transaction 1: EOS shave cream for $2.99 earn $2.99 RR
Buy 1 EOS at $2.99
Buy 1 Snickers at $.89
Use $3 RR from last week
OOP = $.88 pre-tax
Earned $3 RR
Transaction 2: Schick Hydro Razor at $7.99 earn $5 RR
Buy 1 Schick Razor at $7.99
Buy 1 Snickers at $.89
Use $3 RR from previous transaction
Use $5 MC from paper
OOP = $.88 pre-tax
Earned $5 RR
Transaction 3: Pepsi 12 packs 4/$12 earn $3 RR
Buy 4 12 packs
Use $5 RR from previous transaction
OOP = $7.00 pre-tax
Earned $3 RR
Did I need more shave cream? NO. Did we need another razor? NO. We have given lots of those away. We wanted the soda. So in order to save the most money, it was better to do all three transactions then to just go in and buy the sodas with my $3 RR from last week. If I had done just one transaction I would have paid $9.00 pre-tax for my sodas and earned $3 RR. But, by doing the three transactions I got donation items (shave cream and razor), two snickers bars, and then my 4 12 packs for $8.76 pre-tax and still earned my final $3 RR. So I spent less money out of pocket, and I have more stuff to give away.
As you can tell, I don't hesitate to pick something up if it is going to save me money in the long run even if we are not going to use it because it is something that can be given away. To some that might seem wrong, and if it is to you, don't do it. However, to me it is not, because I know those items will be given to people that need them and we do not throw them away.
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