Walgreens has had a lot of success with the Register Rewards program. It works a lot like CVS Extra Care Bucks, but you do not need a card to participate. That gives you some flexibility in getting multiple deals in different Walgreens stores. More about that in a bit.
Walgreens has sales which feature “Register Rewards” every week. This means that you get a catalina coupon for a specified amount of dollars off your next purchase at Walgreens at the register. The trick is to keep the rewards coming. Last week they had a really great deal on Garnier Fructis – if you bought $20 worth, you got $10 in register rewards. Of course, if you used coupons, you were not $20 out of pocket. So you could actually profit, depending on the amount of your coupons.
With your $10 in register rewards, you then go shopping for something else. Use coupons, use the register rewards, and try to get the same amount of register rewards back in your transaction. It just keeps going. You spend very little money, and you keep getting free stuff (or almost free).
There are some rules to keep in mind. If you go to a different Walgreens and use the register rewards that were generated on one item to buy another of that same item, you won’t get the rewards to print a second time. Also, the cash register recognizes the Register Reward as a coupon. So, if you have coupons for every single item you purchase, plus the register reward, you’ll need to buy a small filler, like a candy bar, so that it will go through.
You have to be sure to use your register rewards before they expire. Generally they are good for about two weeks. This really adds up when you combine these with coupons. You walk out of the store with a lot of free stuff.
One frequent complaint about the Register Reward program is that sometimes the coupons do not print at the register. Cashiers will sometimes tell you that if you use coupons, you can’t get a register reward. This is not true. I’ve used coupons all along and received register rewards. Likely the real reason is that the printer is broken or out of paper, the shopper bought the wrong item, or the shopper is trying to do the same deal at a different Walgreens, and paying for it with the register reward from the same item at a different walgreens.
For example, this week here are two deals you can do, and only spend .99 out of pocket:
Theraflu – $4 Buy 2. Use 2 $2 printable coupons
2 $2 walgreens coupons off Theraflu (in store booklet, you can use one and it should come off twice)
You pay nothing.
You get a $4 register Reward
Buy Gillette Fusion Razon $8.99 + one filler item
Use $4 coupon in tomorrows P&G Brandsaver insert
Use your $4 RR
Total Due .99
Get back a $6 Register Reward
Keep doing this, watching for the deals, and increase your register rewards. You will soon find that Walgreens is a great resource for freebies.