You might have noticed that Walgreens is doing more and more Register Rewards deals. If you're wondering how these work and how to take advantage, I'm here to help! While I'm still learning how to maximize my trips at Walgreens, I do have some key tips I can share with you.
Register Rewards are tricky little things. You have to pay attention to the details and not go too fast – especially at first. I think it's worth it to take some time up-front to educate yourself a bit so you'll ensure the most successful shopping trips possible.
Here are some easy rules to follow:
1. Try to keep your out-of-pocket costs as low as possible. This is rule number 1 for avid Walgreens shoppers. Generally, you start with a simple transaction that involves only a single Register Rewards deal. For instance, let's say there is a toothpaste on sale for $2 and you get a $2 Register Rewards for buying it. Let's suppose you happen to have a $1-off-1 coupon for this product. This would be a good entry transaction because you are spending $1 to get $2. Now that you have $2, you could apply that towards a Register Rewards deal with a higher value – maybe an item that is $3 and that you don't have a manufacturer's coupon for. If you have additional items to purchase besides Register Reward deals, I'd personally hold off until your last transaction. That way, if you've profited from the Register Rewards deals, you'll be able to drive down the other costs further. Make sense?
2. Pay attention to the product details. Make sure you are purchasing the correct product, items, quantities, sizes, dollar amounts, etc. Stick to the rules. If it says you must purchase $20 worth of items, understand that $19.99 won't cut it. If it says cherry flavor mouthwash, don't try and substitute mint. Don't deviate.
3. Don't try to "roll" Register Rewards. You cannot take a Register Rewards you just received for an item and attempt to purchase the same item for another Register Rewards. Look at your Register Rewards to see who the participating manufacturer is. If it says "courtesy SC Johnson," for instance, you might not be able to roll it into another SC Johnson deal – even if it's entirely different from the one you just did. Bottom line: I wouldn't mess with attempting to use your Register Rewards on the same item OR same manufacturer/brand.
4. Multiple transactions necessary! In most cases, the ads will tell you "only one coupon printed per transaction." So if you want to buy 2 toothpastes and get 2 Register Rewards, you'll have to ask the cashier to split your transaction up. I recently spoke with a local store manager and he said that they were fine in doing this for customers (at least that store is – each store might differ in how they view these deals). Asking a cashier to do a couple transactions back-to-back for you is one thing, but please don't be obnoxious. I recently read about a customer who asked for something like 25 transactions at a time. If you really want that many transactions, consider breaking it up across stores or trips.
5. You CAN use coupons! You most certainly can use a manufacturers coupon towards the purchase of a Register Rewards item. There has been some debate over this by store staff mainly, but a quick call to Walgreens corporate should clear the matter up. I've personally never had an issue with this.
6. Register Rewards are considered manufacturers' coupons. Because these are the promotional offerings of manufacturers, Walgreens treats these as manufacturers' coupons. Therefore, you cannot use a manufacturer coupon AND a Register Rewards coupon in the purchase of 1 item. You must have at least as many items as manufacturer coupons. Sometimes you might need to purchase a small filler item to make the transaction work (such as a pencil, candy, etc.).
7. There is help if your Register Rewards don't print. Of course, if your Register Rewards should have print and it doesn't, your best bet is to try and correct it right then and there with store staff. However, if you're still unable to resolve it, you can contact the Catalina company for assistance. They can be reached at 1-888-8coupon, option 3 or via this website.
If you'd like to do a little further reading on this topic, here are some recommended reads I've pulled together for you:
- Hot Coupon World Register Rewards FAQ
- Money Saving Mom Walgreens 101 (see #3)
- Hip2Save (on using multiple Register Rewards in a purchase)
- Surviving the Stores (an illustration on how to do multiple Register Reward transactions for profit)
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Just want to let you know I am also fairly new to all of this but recently feel like I have really gotten the hang of it. I think you have worded it all very well, though, so I linked from my blog to yours, hope this is ok with you.
Angela, that is 100% OK with me! Thanks for the link.
This is very helpful. I’ve been quite frustrated by so many exception rules for Register Rewards. So concise & easy to understand. Thank you very much
!!
I also want to link to this post as one of my 10 favorite blog posts (will be posted this weekend 5/2).
Coco, wow! I’m honored.
Thank you.
There are numerous glitches with this program which seem to depend on the area you’re in. The issue seems to be these aren’t generic Walgreens $$$ to spend, they’re manufacturer’s coupons.
If no RR prints for you after you’ve paid, just have the cashier call a manager over and ring the RR qualifying items through again on their own to give you your RR (you don’t pay again, it’s just a way for the system to print the RR). If the RR prints that time, you’ve probably-
-Used a same manufacturer previous purchase RR to pay for a new RR qualifying item.
-Used a manufacturer’s coupon from the same company as the new RR item.
Some areas have no issues, others are a headache. There have even been issues with stores limiting the number of RR you can use to pay with.
You can always do all your RR deals for the week seperately with no coupons and/or old RR as payment so they print, then ring all other non-RR items up as a second transaction using coupons and old RR to pay. Doing the first transaction this way is not the best solution since you wouldn’t be able to use your manufacturer’s coupons on top of the RR that should have printed. It does however get you out of the store quicker than calling over a manager and such.
Ok I just got a big surprise with this. I just bought some prilosec and got the $5.50 rewards and read the rules I can’t use that reward for any P&G product, now go to P&G and look at ALL their products,that’s an awfull lot that I CAN’T use the rewards for. So I have to give this promotion a thumbs down!
Jeff, I have a rather simple solution for you. Buy something else that has a register reward that isn’t a P&G product – there are many this week. I’d consider the Vaseline, TheraFlu, and/or Dentek. Those Register Rewards should NOT exclude P&G products. You could then apply those Register Rewards for more P&G products if you want. Let me know if there’s any way I can help you further.
So let me get this right I should now go buy things that I have absolutely no need for just to save on the things I do need, for some reason I don’t see your logic. You have the makings of a politician.The point is the ad implies that the reward is like cash toward your next purchase , I can understand not being able to buy th exact item or alcohol, tobacco, money orders, pre paid and stuff like that. But not being able to get say Tide just because I bought prilosec that was on sale with the rewards. You would think P&G would rather you use the rewards on one of their products instead of a forcing me to buy a competitors. but then I’m not a CEO that gets millions and millions in bonuses for running the company into the ground.
Jeff, thanks for keeping things humorous! Glad you think I have the makings of a politician…wow, that’s a good one! I wonder if my friends would agree? Anyways, let’s get back on track and leave the labeling aside for a bit, OK?
Rabbit trail over…first of all, if you are going to shop at Walgreens and use Register Rewards you should count on having multiple transactions involved. That’s just the way it works. If you are not a fan of that, I highly recommend you not shop there. Instead, you might consider a store like Rite Aid (if you have them near you) – they offer rebates, not Register Rewards, and the rebates they send you are a check which you can then simply deposit in your bank account.
Also, because you’ve sagely noted that the ad states that you can use the Register Rewards for ANY purchase, you may have luck going back to your store and pointing this out to the store manager and asking for an exception. (I did this once successfully on a P&G promotion, but not at Walgreens.)
And yes, to put it quite frankly, I often do include items in my transaction I wouldn’t have purchased otherwise to help me save money on the items I want. Is this wasteful? Hardly. Just today I sent off a care package with items I’d collected for someone that is very grateful to receive them.
Does this take work? You bet. Will it confuse the heck out of some? I won’t lie, yes. Are Register Rewards for everyone? Heck no, they aren’t. But for folks that are motivated to save a lot of money, they are worth the time and effort involved.
I just visited a Walgreens,and most of the items on sale in the flyer(with register rewards)were gone.Empty shelves.I was informed that I could not have a raincheck.I was informed that even if they gave me a raincheck,the register rewards could not be printed after the sale was over(whenever item was restocked).2 different employees told me this(they said the manager told them-he was not available).I am too busy to show up the first day of the sale, as soon as they open,in order to hopefully get a sale item before it is gone.What do YOU think???
Job, I’m glad you brought this up because it’s something that’s personally been irking me a little too. Fortunately for me, there are three different Walgreens in driving distance and I’ve come to learn which ones do a better job of stocking than others. But even just today, two items I’d hoped to buy on Register Rewards deals were out of stock. So I know what you’re getting at, I really do. So here are my best thoughts:
1 – Try to find out what day your store restocks and go there then. Just ask. You might avoid some of the first day craziness and still end up with what you need.
2 – Some of the deals that I posted this week (the Dentek, Chapstick, and Vaseline – I believe) are actually good all month long, so it is quite possible you will see them once again appear on store shelves on a future visit. I will note which ones are monthly in this weekend’s post.
3 – To avoid wasting time I would try to speak with a store manager for assistance. Tell them you do not have the time to keep coming back to the stores and checking for stock. Ask if someone could call you when it arrives, help set it aside for you, or the like. I agree the no raincheck thing is unfortunate, so I’d hope given that stores would be willing to work with customers!
4 – Still having issues? Contact corporate (I believe the district mgr is the one you need). I found this online form for you: http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/contactus/forms.jsp Tell them there store is not stocking properly for advertised deals you want to take advantage of.
So that’s what I think. So why did I write this post on Register Rewards in the first place? Because I think it’s important to understand if you are going to shop at Walgreens. Did I prefer their rebate program? HECK YEAH. SOOO much easier and less complicated.
I for one like the register rewards more than the rebate program. The rebate program limited you to one or two deals per item. With register rewards you can get as many deals as you can find items. This past week I was able to stock up on Theraflu for the coming cold seasons, and made a profit off of it.
Jeff, not only do we save money on items we would normally buy by buying items we would never usually buy, but also a lot of us keep the local women’s shelter stocked with makeup and our church’s medicine pantry stocked with OTC drugs. I think both Walgreens and the product manufacturers would be pleased to know what we are doing with their fabulous deals.
I would like to buy 2 snuggies at Walgreens tomorrow for thanksgiving. They’re 2 dollars register rewards for each. So should I make 2 different transactions? And if i do, will i not get the register rewards for the 2nd one b/c i used a register reward to get it?
As a current Walgreens Employee, can I pop my two cents in?
The register rewards are a fantastic deal IF you’re a regular shopper. If not, then don’t waste your time.
To Job: Exactly, we cannot write a raincheck for a register rewards item and if you got a soft hearted manager who did, you would only get it at watever sale price it was at and no rewards will print. We cannot make them print, nor can the manager. We do not have that ability as it’s a computer program that is updated each week at the corporate level. At midnight on Saturday when the weeks sale ends, that information is kicked out of our system, as is that weeks coupons in the sale ad. If you try to use an old coupon, it will pop up “item record not on file.” And we can’t key it in either because those numbers associated with it are kicked out too. So watch those expiration dates! And the Register Rewards are good generally for about 2 weeks. And as for the certain item counts, you must pay the tax. There is no getting around that and you get nothing for free. That’s partially where the no-doubling of coupons comes in.
As for the out of stock, that we can’t help. We get a certain number of items on our truck each week that corporate anticipates we will sell. So if you come on Friday or Saturday (or even Wednesday or Thursday for a 24-hour store) please don’t whine about a particular sale/RR item being out of stock. Once people get wind of what a great deal ti is they will come and scoop them up. I’m sorry if you have a busy schedual, I know all about what that’s like. But that’s just the way these things are. Depending on where you live, you may have to travel a bit to find a lower volume store, but you will have a better chance of finding your item there.
Good luck and happy shopping!
P.S. Register Rewards are a pain in the neck for us employees
Charlotte, thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspective!! I have been hoping to hear from employees. I’ve suspected for awhile now that Register Rewards aren’t fun for employees either. Quite honestly, I preferred your rebate program by a long shot.
If you ever want to email me – please do. I’d love to do a post sometime soon about how we as couponers can do a better job of respecting cashiers/store staff and understand how things work from your end. Please feel free to drop me a line at thecouponproject at hotmail dot com or leave comments periodically here.
Thanks again for taking the time to share this.
Thank you Angela!
They really aren’t and unfortuantly it’s quite easy for us to get in trouble because of them. The rebate program was wonderful and again, so much easier to use.
If you guys would like to make things easier for us, it’s simple. Just keep an eye on your expiration dates. Watch what dollar amounts you’re trying to get off. And please know the tax rate!
I live and work in Chattanooga, TN which is right on the Tennessee/Georgia Border. This is a prime example because TN tax is 9.25% and GA is 7.00%. We often have a problem with Georgia people coming to TN and not calculating TN tax and therefore getting their numbers wrong. Again, YOU MUST PAY THE TAX. RR cannot cut into tax, so please be aware of the tax rate.
Also, please present all rewards/coupons before payment. A frequent problem we have is people putting part of the amount on their card or in cash and then wanting to use rewards to pay for the rest. This cannot be done, as once a payment has been entered in or processed, we cannot scan anything else. From that point on you must present another form of payment or we must cancel the entire transaction and start over. The only way of doing this is to call a manager for a toal void. This also cancels your coupons. And of course, adds to your wait time and the other customers and nobody likes that. Just a helpful hint.
Is there anything you would like to ask, dear readers? I would love to be able to answer your questions and help make the process as smooth as possible for everyone
Oh yes, a few more points to keep in mind:
The sale ad is a national ad- it’s supposed to represent our over 7,000 store in all 50 states. It will show items that your local stores may not neccesarily have. For example, this Christmas the Charlie Brown Christmas shirts were 2/$5. They were of course printed in the ad which we would of course have in our stores. However, the Chattanooga/Southeast Tennessee District didn’t get any of those this year. So while it may list that it has it in stores, I would recommend calling and checking before you head out to shop or asking if you’re already there. It’s better to ask than waste your time.
Pictures are very important. Look at what the picture shows in the ad. If it shows regular V8 Juice 2/$5, you must purchase that. You cannot expect to get the low sodium version at the sale price and we will not price modify it for you. It simply isn’t worth it to get in trouble and maybe lose our jobs or get our hours docked. The only way you can do that is if the ad says all varieties or some such. The same goes for coupons.
24-Hour store are just that. 24-Hours and 365 days a year. If you can, shop in the middle of the night. We are doing projects durng the day and you will have an easier time finding the deals later at night.
Photo times are approx. If someone sends in an order of 180 photos that all need to be processed and printed, yours will simply not be done in an hour. We apologize, but we have one machine per store. We must take them in the order they come in.
At the fragrance counter in cosmetics, if there is not a tester avaliable, we cannot open another one for you to try. That is technically theft and we will lose our job for it.
And our favorite, out-of-stock items. We truly don’t know when something is coming in. Our inventory is automates and the computer sends the order in. When you buy something, as we scan it the system makes a note of what we just sold and once the inventory count reaches 0, it is automatically put on the next order. Therefore, if you steal something, it’s not taken out of the count. So as long as that number is 1 or more, that item is not ordered. That may help explain why certain things are always out-of-stock. Another one is our wareouse is out. If their out, we’re sure to be out.
Sorry for the ramblin’ but I thought this might help.
Charlotte, WOW. Really, thank you for your time!! If you don’t mind, I may summarize some of the main things you’ve stated here in a separate post. I want to make sure my readers get a chance to see what you’ve shared here. Some new info for me, too. Thank you!!
You’re very welcome Angela. I can’t help but get a bit giddy that I can share my insider knowledge with you guys. I really hope what I have to say helps, and of course if you have a separate blog you may use them. May I have the link? I’d love to read it.
Charlotte, I will email you my post before publishing so you can make any further edits you wish. I’ve been looking for awhile now for an employee willing to assist me in sharing the ‘other side’ of the register experience. I’ll be in touch.
Thanks! I look forward to reading it. And anything you need help with or any questions you need to ask, I’ll be more than happy to help with.
So, I have a question. I went to buy items tonight from my local Walgreens, expecting to receive a $5.00 RR for purchasing $25.00 worth of items. I used a former RR towards my purchase and I guess it dropped my amount of total purchases to under $25.00 (in the past, though, I have been able to use them more as cash, so this was a surprise.) After reading various posts here, it looks as though they now consider the RR as manufacturer’s coupons which is fine. I was told, though, that even if I repurchased the items with an additional small item (I was around $.80 short of $25.00 even with using the RR) that I would still not get a RR because I had used one to pay for the transaction. When I asked if I could get clarification from the manager, the cashier called him and then told me that he said that I couldn’t get a RR coupon if I had used one. I asked to see the RR coupon again and did not read anything that seemed to indicate this, but in the meantime the cashier pulled her till out and just walked away. I thought it was a very rude way of handling the situation, but really all I wanted was clarification because I have never had this problem before. Since no one at the store seemed to want to help, does anyone know if this is truly the case?
The cashier was correct (see #3 above about not “rolling” RR). Even though it’s not stated on the RR, remember you cannot use a RR to purchase your items and expect the same one to print. If you read my post about my trip yesterday you’ll see the same thing happened to me. HTH!
http://www.thecouponproject.com/the_coupon_project/2009/12/my-walgreens-trip.html
I just read your 7 Rules for Register Rewards success and could use a little more direction on rules 5 & 6 regarding the use of coupons. I’m a little confused.
Gina, I actually wrote an additional 2-part series on Register Rewards for another blog. Here is that series. Perhaps it will clarify? If not, let me know.
Part I: http://stealsdeals.blogspot.com/2009/10/making-walgreens-work-for-you-guest.html
Part II:
http://stealsdeals.blogspot.com/2009/10/guest-post-from-coupon-project-all.html
I would also like more clarification. I purchased 3 things at Walgreens today that should have printed RR and didn’t. I also purchased several other items. I asked the cashier about it and she called over the manager. He said it was because I used coupons for the items. I didn’t use a coupon for one of them and it still didn’t print. He took that one off and did it separately and it printed. We didn’t try the others because I didn’t push it with him. It was very frustrating though. I just got things earlier in the week with coupons and the RR printed with no problems. What is the deal?? I called Catlina and they were going to look into it tomorrow. They couldn’t do it today because the transaction occurred today. They may send the RR out to me but that could take 8-12 weeks!! If it is going to be this complicated, then I will have to shop somewhere else. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. Do I need to have the cashiers scan in the items and the coupons in a certain order to get the RR to print??
Tasha, first off I’m sorry you had an upsetting trip. That happens sometimes unfortunately. In response to the coupons triggering it? That seems to come up a lot. Check out this post I wrote where I point out how Walgreens OWN ADS encourage you to use coupons on Register Reward deals! http://www.thecouponproject.com/the_coupon_project/2009/12/walgreens-ads-help-clarify-coupon-and-register-reward-policy.html
Finally, I’ve worked with Catalina company before . While they might tell you 8-12 weeks, my experience has generally been MUCH faster than that. I’m not sure why yours didn’t print – Catalina should be able to tell you.
OOPS. I wish I could edit my comments. When I said I’ve worked with Catalina before – what I meant to say, is I’ve contacted them before, not been employed with them.
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