Couponing at the Pharmacies

Drug stores take couponing to another level! When I say drug stores, I am primarily speaking of Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid. So how are they different that your regular grocery store runs?

Each of these stores have their own points program. Walgreens has Balance Rewards, CVS has ExtraCare Bucks and Rite Aid has Plenti Rewards but they all pretty much work the same. You sign up for a rewards card account that is linked to your phone number. Being a member of this program gives you the ability to link coupons to your card, save on sale items and earn points for each dollar spent. There are also bonus points opportunities when you buy specific items. You can then use these points towards future purchases. Each point is usually worth a penny which means 500 points = $5.00.

This is where it gets interesting (and fun)! You are able to stack store coupons, manufacturer’s coupons and use your rewards points in one transaction! That equals awesome savings. So how does this really work? I will walk you through it using on of my recent shops.

Rite Aid Shop

This is really the most effective when you choose one store and stick with it. Rite Aid is my store of choice and that is only because it is the first store of the three where I scored a big deal so I have always had points to spend.

When I saw that Rite Aid had a BonusCash Bash promotion going on, I knew it was time to dust off the coupons and make a trip. We were also low on body wash, soap and lotion so it was a win-win. Let me take a moment to explain the promotion. For every $50 you spend on the marked items, you receive $20 back in Plenti points to be used on a future purchase. I already had about $30 in Plenti points on my account, so this should be fun.

Step 1: Scan the ad.

I grabbed the circular and did a quick scan to check out the deals. I focused on the items on the Bonus Cash Bash promotion since that would get me the most for my money.

Step 2: Cut the coupons

Once I had a good idea of what was on sale, I went through my coupon inserts and only cut the things that I would actually buy. This is why I look through the ad first. I have noticed that when I cut coupons for items that aren’t a great deal or that I decided to take, just in case, I usually overspend on something. This has taught me to plan everything, even my back ups.

Step 3: Match the coupons with the ad.

Now that I have my coupons cut, it is time to match them with the sales in the ad. If I have a coupon for an item in the ad, I circle it with my handy-dandy sharpie and mark it with a C. This makes it easy to find things at a glance when I am in the store.

Step 4: Check the app.

Now that the paper coupons are out of the way, it is time to look at the digital coupons. In the Rite Aid app, there are click to card coupons. Once you select them in the app, these coupons are loaded to your reward card. At checkout, these coupons will automatically apply. It is that easy! Most times, there are quite a few digital coupons that match up with the ads. I also marked these coupons in the ad so that I wouldn’t forget.

Step 5: Do the quick math.

Now that you know the sales and the coupons, you can estimate how much you will spend out of pocket (OOP). Looking at my deals, I would spend about $15 OOP once all was said and done. Not bad.

Here is where I made the mistake…I waited. I was all ready on the day of the sale but I waited until the end of the week because I wanted a $3 laundry detergent coupon. It was in an insert that comes by mail on Wednesday. I am not sure why this insert comes in the mail but it does. So Friday afternoon, I decided let’s try this. The first Rite Aid…wiped out. The second Rite Aid…even worse than the first. I almost gave up but I decided to try one more and bingo!