Savvy How To: Drug Store Savings

Savvy How to: 

Drug Store Savings

         You may have never thought of a drug store as a great avenue to save money on groceries and household items, but the savings can be staggering!  Weekly ads for stores like, Rite Aid and Walgreens are teeming with rock bottom pricing on more than just prescriptions and personal hygiene items.  If you underutilize these savings venues, it would be fiscally wise to look again! So how do you maximize your savings and still stay in budget?  Learning the savings basics is simple.

         While it’s true that many national drug store chains pricing is higher than local grocers, most also offer loyalty/rewards programs with huge savings incentives!  As an example, Rite Aid offers a Single Check Rebate program which reimburses consumers for product purchases. These online rebates are one of the simplest forms of rebate programs as they do not require cutting and mailing UCPs.  You simply buy the advertised product, and even use a coupon when possible to lower your initial purchase price, visit www.RiteAid.com to enter basic receipt information all month long and request your refund at the end of each month.  You’ll get up to the full sale price, regardless of coupon savings, refunded at the end of the month in the form of a rewards check.  I call this a Money Maker!

In addition, Rite Aid offers seasonal Gift Of Savings rewards programs, which give consumers gift card cash for everyday purchases on top of all other promotional offers!  Did I say Money Maker yet? Plus, Rite Aid now offers Up Rewards coupons, good for cash off your next Rite Aid buys, with select product purchases, as well as printable Video Value Coupons which can be stacked with manufacturer coupons for double the savings!. 

         Walgreens also offers a rewards program they call Register Rewards.  These can be a little more complicated but also very rewarding! Instead of filling out an online form for reimbursement, Walgreens issues instant checkout register coupons with your purchase, which are good for cash off your next shopping order.  There are a few key rules to remember though:

#1. You can only get one Register Reward per promotion in a single purchase. You can get multiple Register Rewards in one purchase when you buy products from different promotions.

#2. You cannot use the exact Register Reward to pay for a product participating in the same promotion in a following transaction.  Ie... If you buy Olay and get a Register Reward you cannot use that Reward to buy another Olay product.

#3. You can’t use more coupons than products purchased and a Register Reward is considered a coupon.

It might sound difficult, but once you get your feet wet and try it you’ll find out how easy it is to save with this rewards program.

         Beyond rewards programs there are also a plethora of grocery and household products competitively sale priced each week.  Coupons are a must and can even be combined with in-ad store coupons.  If a store offers a non-manufacture coupon in their weekly ad or coupon booklet, most drug stores will allow you to stack a Sunday newspaper issued manufacture coupon on top of the store coupon and you’ll see double the savings! Stacking coupons this way definitely helps stretch your budget!

         My suggestion for implementing your drug store savings is to start with the basics - one store at a time.  Master the savings for each drug store before adding another store to your shopping list!  Make sure you pick up an in-store Rite Aid Single Check Rebate Guide or Walgreens Coupon Book each month and familiarize yourself with their contents.  Then, visit www.SavvyShopperDeals.com and check out the amazing Shopping Wizard, an interactive, detailed shopping list of the best savings at these and many other retailers to maximize your bottom line!  Saving at the drug store has never been easier!