Couponing 101 in Concord

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

CVS Hall Street tonight. You still have time.

So, this is almost $30 worth of stuff for $6.97, savings of $22.68. Jacqueline ate the other candy bar. If you get CVS emails, you have 1 more hour for the free AA batteries 10 pack for $15 purchase. As you see I couponed that $15 down to less than half, and I got $5.99 in new rewards. ONE HOUR LEFT!! The 20 pack AAA was $5.99 (half price) and went toward the criteria. The head buds are $6.99 w/ $5 ECB attached, and the BOGO Hershey's Air candy bar coupon is in the SS from the week before last, with $.99 ECB attached.

On your mark, get set, GO!!!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Making the change to organic.

Just to clarify, the words “organic” and “natural” mean two ENTIRELY different things in the mass production of food. “Organic” is the only claim by which a standard has to be met. This is not so for “natural” because the word itself means anything found in nature. Well, at a molecular level, everything is natural to begin with. Although I am almost positive that Cool Whip and Cheez Whiz are from Mars.

That being said, the transition to foods that are organic can be very costly. And it is a major couponing bone of contention that coupons for organic products are scarce. This is because most organic farms are independent. Quite frankly they don’t have the money to reimburse the double couponers of the world. So I ask you this. Are you willing to compromise SOME organic products for things that have less sugars, and little to no preservatives, even if they are not categorically organic? Let me put it another way.

If you could get 3 boxes of Cheerios (1 gram of sugar) and 3 boxes of Kix (3 grams of sugar) and 4 boxes of Cascadian Farms Organic snack bars for $9, would you do it? I did.

If you could get 2 boxes of Cheerios, 2 Boxes of Nature Valley 80 calorie fudge granola bars, and a gallon of milk (Oakhurst) for $5.20, would you do it? I did.

If you could get 2 Emeril’s (no preservatives) spaghetti sauce, 2 Pasta Prima fresh stuffed ravioli dinners, and 2 Olivia’s Organic salad mix for $10, would you do it? Can you guess my next sentence? Wow, you’re catching on!!! I did!!!

If you could get all your oral care products, and deodorant, and razors, and skin creams, and make-up for 75% off or MORE, would you have the money for more organic foods? Would you change the way you shop to make the accommodation? I do!

No doubt, if you want to maximize your ability to save money with coupons, you need to make exceptions. So I submit, if you want to put better things in your body, let go of the brand loyalty to the non grocery items. You won’t regret it.

Obscure coupons and deals...PART DEUX!!

*Mission Artisan Tortillas 1/$1

http://www.missionartisancoupon.com/

*Restaurant’s.com- Tandy’s, Beijing and Tokyo, Alan’s of Boscawen, and Daniels of Henniker all $25 Gift cards for $10.

http://www.restaurant.com/rdc_site2.net/listings.aspx?zip=03301&image.x=26&image.y=7&pgn=gcp&

*Random free Bayer Advanced. Otherwise $1.50 coupon.

http://scienceofpain.com/en/index.php

*Hunger games (paperback) $4.94 at Amazon (free shipping on Supersaver deal)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439023521/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mavofsav-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0439023521

*Rite Aid $1 Maybelline coupon on FB page

https://www.facebook.com/riteaid?sk=app_229223087093677

*Soft Soap Coupons $.75. Word on the street is that this will make this product $.25 next week at CVS. Print them now.

http://www.colgate.com/app/Softsoap/US/EN/Special-Offers.cvsp

*Welch’s coupons. Watch videos on their site, get coupons.

https://tastetheharvest.welchs.com/default.aspx

Walgreens coupon policy debate solved. (For me at least.)

I have long suspected that all the major drug stores work the same in their rewards program insomuch as to assume that because Walgreen’s RR’s are actually “manufacturer” coupons, that CVS and Rite Aid also swing the same deals with the same people. You see, all the major drug stores work in conjunction with the manufacturers. That is to say upon redemption, the stores actually get reimbursed for these rewards, the same as they would with coupons. That is why your reward will say something like “Thank you for your purchase of Lysol”. The company only has to redeem that money to the store after you have spent that reward on something else. This is why, if you lose a reward, they will likely not issue you another. CVS is the most lenient in this situation.

However, the debate over Walgreen’s rewards being different than other stores was settled for me this morning in an email from Rite Aid. You see, I temporarily lost my rewards. I did find them, but not before firing out an email asking if they had an online site to retrieve them like CVS. This was the response.

“Thank you for your email to Rite Aid Wellness+ Customer Service. I’m sorry that you were unable to use your +UP coupons. Unfortunately we are unable to reissue any lost or expired +UP coupons. The reason for this is because the manufacturer is providing these extra savings on their products and they reserve the right to limit them in any way, so once lost or expired they can not be redeemed. I’m sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. If you have any additional questions regarding your account please feel free to contact us through an email or by calling 1-800-RITE AID. Thank you once again for your business and have a wonderful day.

Thanks,

Jeff F.

Rite Aid Wellness+ Customer Support

1-800-748-3243”

This means that the claim that the criteria of Walgreens redemption policy being harder to meet than others, solely because the rewards are “coupons”, is bogus. By rights they are ALL “coupons”. Therefore Walgreens strict coupon policy is at their own behest, not the manufacturer.

In case you are unaware of the difference, CVS and Rite Aid redeem their rewards as cash. Therefore, if you are purchasing 1 item, and you have 1 applicable coupon, and 1 reward with an applicable dollar amount, this is not a problem. At Walgreens, you would need to purchase another item, so that the ratio of items and “coupons” are equal. They treat their rewards as coupons. Again, CVS and Rite Aid treat theirs as cash.

The Dollar Tree

Sure we all know The Dollar Tree exists, but the questions really are, #1, are the products of any quality, and #2, is the amount you get per unit actually less than what you would pay at the grocery store? In other words, does The Dollar Tree actually provide value for the product you get.

Well, the answer can be tricky. I have definitely come across some items that I have seen on sale for less than $1, same size, same product. And I have also seen some products that I would basically never use, for lack of quality. So the only way for me to answer that question is to give a list of things that I ALWAYS look for at The Dollar Tree.

*Borax Laundry Booster- A couple times a year, I see a 40 load box of Borax at The Dollar Tree. I don’t know why it is there, but when it is, I get 5. The amount of money people spend on laundry soaps and fabric softener is basically obscene. The biggest enemy in your ability to fight stains and yellowing is hard water. If you can get this product for a dollar, jump at the chance. Then cut you laundry soap either in half or maybe just by 1/3 depending on the degree of soil. It sure beats Tide Stain release Booster at $10 a whack.

*Gift bags and tissue- Can I just say there is almost never a good reason to pay $5 for a gift bag?! I don’t know about you, but I would rather be able to refocus that money on the actual gift.

*Scotch Tape and other stationary- Just this morning they had double rolls of tape for $1. The best time to buy tape is either in October or November. Because in December, everyone else has this epiphany for Christmas wrapping, and they are often out. The next time you are there, grab some.

*Cellophane bowl covers- These things are like shower caps for food. I have yet to see them anywhere else, but I admit, I don’t look hard, because I know where to find them. These are great for family outings, when food has been served but you don’t want to put it away just yet. No one likes unwanted visitors in their food. YUCK!! So these can cover your pasta salads, keeping them insect free, and you can temporarily put it in the fridge until you transfer the leftovers.

*Sponges- I WILL NEVER PAY $3 FOR 2 SPONGES!!! The end.

*Spin and Span- You know, the deliberation of which cleaning product is the most toxic and harmful to the environment is a hot topic, and will likely not get solved any time soon. So, I submit that it is a matter of personal choice, and that moderation is key. Bleach vs. ammonia vs. phosphates vs. products that claim to be green. OMG shoot me already. Let me just tell you that, as I have no allergies, the most toxic thing in my house is the loss of money on superfluous cleaning products. If you truly want to go green, then use hot water and baking soda, or vinegar, or lemon juice for cleaning agents. Otherwise, if you cannot coupon something for less than $1 in the other stores, they are fundamentally all the same, and are available at The Dollar Tree.

*Super Glue- Brand name Super Glue is located up front by the registers and has been there consistently for at least 2 years. I have NEVER had a problem with the quality being outdated or dried up for whatever reason. I just got a 3 pack of gel this morning.

If you think the Dollar Tree is good for other things that I have not mentioned, feel free to share, either on the blog, or the page J

Monday, September 5, 2011

Misconceptions of Rain Checks and Pre-orders of mass quantity.

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?

#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.