Monticello Live

I would like to start this week’s column by saying thanks for all the comments and messages on facebook I received after the last article. I was flattered at the number of individuals that suggested I teach a coupon class. Honestly, to teach a class would be like me saying I know everything there is to know about couponing, and that is definitely not the case. I continue to learn new things each and every week and I will continue to pass along what I learn to the readers of MonticelloLive.

One of the biggest things I have come across in the couponing world is that retailers can change their coupon policy at any given time. Often times this is confusing as heck to their customers. There appears to be quite some confusion right now on whether or not Walmart accepts the Register Rewards printed at Walgreens. I would like to take this opportunity to discuss Walgreens Register Rewards and the policies Walmart has for them in order to clear up any confusion.

Let’s start by explaining what a Register Reward is and how you get one.

Walgreens Register Rewards are Catalina coupons which print up separately from your register receipt after you purchase qualifying items. The Register rewards can be used similar to cash on your next purchase, although there are some restrictions.

Catalina machines are generally programmed to print one Register Reward coupon for one qualifying item. If you purchase more than one of the same qualifying items per transaction, you will only receive one Register Reward coupon.

In order to get more than one Register Reward coupon when purchasing more than one of the same qualifying items, request that each item be rung up on separate transactions. If you purchase different qualifying items in the same transaction you will receive ONE register reward for each item. Keep in mind that all stores will not allow you to do multiple transactions. You can view the Walgreens Coupon Policy here:

Now that you understand that a Register Reward is pretty much like cash in hand to be used on your next purchase, let’s discuss how it is against Walmart’s policy to accept them. I know that I have had several comments on the last article that they successfully used a Register Reward at Walmart with no problems, but it is against Walmart’s policy to accept them. I spoke to the head front end lady who is over the cashiers and CSMs (Ms. J) at our local Walmart to verify this (I actually spoke to a manger first but she referred me to Ms. J since she was the one that has to keep up on the current policy). According to Ms. J, Walmart used to accept the Register Rewards, but they no longer do. What you may find is that not all cashiers know the Walmart coupon policy and will push them through anyway, but they are not supposed to accept them at all! You can view the Walmart Coupon Policy online.

Feel free to print it and keep a copy of it in your binder. You never know when you just might need it.

Something else a reader brought to my attention is that Walmart will price match their Great Value brand with the Walgreens brand on advertised items. For instance, if Walgreens advertises their Walgreens brand aspirin for $1 and they run out, you can take the ad right over to Walmart and get the same size bottle/quantity of Great Value brand aspirin for the same price. Pretty cool, huh!

Now, let me warn you about finding bargains at stores like Fred’s, Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc. I’ve learned the hard way that these stores often stock items that are lower in quantity/size than we are used to seeing at Walmart. For instance, on a recent stop at a Family Dollar store I was so excited to find my dog Bella’s favorite food for only $5 vs. the $7 I’d been paying for it at Walmart. Not until I got home did I realize that the Family Dollar box only had 8 pouches of food instead of the 12 pouches I had been getting at Walmart. So, be careful. What appears to be a heck of a deal is not always the case.

In closing I wanted to share my recent deal totals with you. Over the Memorial Day weekend I managed to hit a Rite Aid and a CVS in addition to my regular Walgreens stop. I am not very familiar with Rite Aid and CVS, but I knew they had a few deals I was very interested in checking out.

My Rite Aid trip totaled $130.56 but I only paid $18.31. I could not have been more excited! What did I get? Here’s the list:

1 Renpure Shampoo
14 Milano On the Go Cookies
2 Jolly Time Popcorn
2 boxes Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
2 boxes Kellogg’s Raisin Bran
3 boxes Pop Tarts
1 Physician’s Formula Bronzer
1 Revlon Illiuminance Crème Eyeshadow
1 Maybelline Eyeshadow
1 Physician’s Formula Blush
1 Garnier Fructis Mousse
4 Loreal Eye Make-up Remover
1 Munchkin Deluxe Dishwasher Basket
1 2pk Pacifiers

At CVS I managed a total of items valued at $151.90 for only $43.11.

And last, but not least, this week at Walgreens I spent $43.21 for only $217.97 worth of product. Now that’s what I call savings. I am planning a trip to Little Rock on Saturday to stock up at Kroger and Target. Kroger doubles coupons up to .65¢ and Target allows one manufacturer coupons and one Target coupon per item. Check next week to see how I did.

As always, feel free to post a question or comment or catch me on facebook.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 12th, 2011 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.