Drug Store Basics Part Two: How To Use Coupons At Walgreens

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To see part one in this series, go HERE.

If you're a Walgreens shopper, you know that Walgreens can be the most difficult of the three drug stores to navigate as a coupon shopper.  They offer some amazing deals, but it's very important that you know their policy before you go!  Here are a few tips to get you started. . .

Walgreens offers Register Rewards (RRs) which print out at checkout towards your next purchase. Unlike CVS and Rite Aid, these are not tied to a specific account so you can purchase as many Register Reward items as you'd like.

You cannot “roll” RRs towards the same item. Essentially, the Register Rewards are manufacturer coupons that print at checkout, and if you use them to purchase another like item, the computer system at Walgreens will not allow it to print another Register Reward.  But, if you use your RRs from one transaction on a different Register Reward offer, it would trigger another Register Reward to print at the register.  Here's an example (from last week's Walgreens scenario):

Transaction #1

• Buy 2 Colgate Toothpastes 2/$6 Receive $4 Register Rewards
• Use (2) $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste coupons
• Pay $4 plus tax out of pocket, get $4 Register Rewards

Transaction #2

• Buy 1 Fusion Proglide Razor $9.89 Receive $4 Register Rewards
• Buy 1 “filler” item (something inexpensive so that you have as many items as you have coupons)
• Use $5/1 Gillette coupon from recent home mailer or $4/1 Fusion ProGlide from 5/1/22 PG
• Use $4 Register Rewards from Transaction #1
• Pay $.89 plus tax out of pocket, get $5 in Register Rewards

Transaction #3

• Buy 2 Colgate Toothpastes 2/$6
• Buy 1 “filler” item
• Use (2) $1/1 Colgate coupons
• Use $4 Register Rewards from Transaction #2
• Pay nothing out of pocket, get $4 in Register Rewards

Here are a few additional tips for shopping at Walgreens:

• You must have as many items as you have manufacturer coupons, and your Register Rewards are counted as a manufacturer coupon.  (Store coupons do not count towards the number of coupons you are allowed to use per item, according to Walgreens coupon policy.)
• When you are using many different coupons at Walgreens, it's best to place your Register Rewards on stack of your coupons, then your manufacturer coupons and then your store coupons.  The order of your coupons is very important at Walgreens, so always make sure you have them in the right order (I promise, it will save you quite a bit of grief in the checkout lane!)  Just to make sure you've got it, here's how to hand your coupons to the cashier:

• Hand them your Register Rewards first (I put mine on the very top of my stack of coupons)
• Then place your manufacturer coupons next (in between your Register Rewards and store coupons)
• Give your cashier the store coupons last (I just put those on the bottom)

• Walgreens offers several in-ad coupons that can be found in their weekly ad, and they sometimes also offer coupon booklets with store coupons found throughout the store.  Watch for these monthly near the front of your store, and also scout out what's available near the pharmacy.

Those are my very quick tips on how to shop Walgreens.  What other suggestions do you have, and have you had good or bad experiences while couponing at Walgreens?

See this week's drug store deal of the week at Walgreens over HERE.