I love getting something for cheap. That's why I participate in the Register Rewards program at Walgreens. Every week, I compile the best deals and post them on Wallet Wise.
If you've been couponing for a while, then you know all coupons have an expiration date. I also try to use mine before they expire, but sometimes it gets down to the day of expiration, and I'm left with a choice to either use it or lose it. This happened to me last night with my register rewards coupons. I had $5.50 that I could use, so I didn't want to see it go down the drain.
After rushing to the store around 11pm, combing through the aisles and gathering my purchases, I was ready. Everything should have ran smoothly. I was going to buy two Gillette body washes with a 2$ off manufacture coupon and the rest of my soon-to-be expired Register Rewards. The problem? I was told I could not use more than one register reward at a time! Furthermore, I was also told that I could not use them to get another register reward (two Gillette body washes this week earns 2$ in Register Rewards). I was shocked. I had paid with more than one register reward in a transaction before, and it had definitely reaped the appropriate coupons. Apologizing, I went to the back of the line to sort out my options.
The manager, who saw my dilemma, then proceeded to explain to me how the register at Walgreens works. Apparently, if you shop during the DAY, then the register will spit out register rewards coupons no matter how the item was paid for. But if you shop at night, before 2am, then it doesn't work. She said there was no way to fix the problem. Talk about inconsistency! No wonder I had no clue what was happening.
When it was all said and done, I ended up getting a bottle of Head and Shoulders for $1.24 after a $1 coupon and $3 RR. I still got a good deal, but I had to throw away the other two RRs that I had to spend. I didn't feel like doing 3 transactions after the little scene my coupons caused, so I walked away from the $2.50 that was rightfully mine.
What did this experience teach me? Well, I am no longer going to count on "rolling" my RRs, since it doesn't always work. And because of this, I'm not planning on going back to Walgreens weekly. I don't think I can handle another midnight coupon run only to be told I can't use them.
If you use the Register Rewards program at Walgreens frequently, I advise you to become thoroughly familiar with how it works. Since the register doesn't always read the coupons in the same way depending on the time of the day, it really can get confusing. Arm yourself with extra cash in case it does not work out as planned.
Have you had similar experiences with Walgreens? What did you do?
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