Keeping in mind that I mostly spoke with customer service and not management, I called EVERY major chain store in Concord to clarify the policies of pre-ordering in bulk, and keeping tabs on Rain Checks. I Asked Two Questions.
#1 Do you accommodate a large preorder of a sale item and if so, is there a limit on how many items I can pre order in advance of a sale? With Coupons?
#1 Do you accommodate a large preorder of a sale item and if so, is there a limit on how many items I can pre order in advance of a sale? With Coupons?
#2 Does your ordering system keep tabs of Rain Checks, thereby accommodating future stock of said products?
These are the results.
*Target: #1- NO pre orders! #2 They give Rain checks, but it is on a first come first serve basis.
*Walmart: #1 Yes, they preorder. But when asked if the general stock was refurbished to the public, she had no answer. #2 They do give rain checks but they will not honor a coupon if it has expired in the elapsed time that the product has become available. No promise of availability either.
*CVS: #1 Preorders are negotiable from store to store, at the discretion of the manager. When asked if the stock was refurbished from the preorder, the answer was elusive. #2 They do give rain checks, but again, the available stock issue was elusive.
*Rite Aid: #1 Much the same as CVS. #2 Again, the same as CVS with the additional clarification that there was no way to guarantee that the warehouse can accommodate the restock in a timely manner.
*Walgreen’s: #1 Straight up told me that their ordering was done with and auto fill system. #2 Because their system is auto fill they get what they get, and do not keep track of rain checks. (I appreciated her honesty.)
*Shaw’s: #1 Will preorder, but requires a deposit. When asked if the general stock was refurbished, admitted that they only got what the warehouse could accommodate, therefore “WEEKS” had gone by before certain items were restocked. Which leads to #2. Rain checks are given but if the coupon expires in the elapsed time, they do not accommodate it, AND their normal policy states that you can only have a coupon for 4 of any like item anyway. (This is newer, and I am VERY HAPPY!!!)
*Hannaford: #1 Yes they preorder and do not care about the # of applicable coupons, but when asked if the general stock was refurbished, they could not provide a conclusive answer. #2 They give rain checks, but do not keep track, and will likely not accommodate a coupon if the time has elapsed from the time of the sale.
*Market Basket: #1 Will preorder, but at manager’s discretion based on available stock. I LOVE YOU MARKET BASKET!!! #2 Will give rain checks, but if a coupon has expired in the elapsed time, they will honor a few discretionary amounts, but not “like 50 of them”, (and she laughed). Again, discretionary based on stock. Let me say it again. I LOVE YOU MARKET BASKET!!!!
Conclusion, since no one can promise the ability to refurbish stock, Market Basket WINS hands down on fairness to the mass consumer. I appreciated Walgreens honesty, as I suspected that most of these places are on an auto fill with little room for negotiation. However, the rain check system in all of the drugstores leaves something to be desired.
