BOGO Sales and Coupon Issues
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 1:08 pm.
Before posting the CVS weekly deals I wanted to let you all know about an awesome email I received from reader Jewel. She recently encountered issues with trying to use a buy one get one free coupon on a buy one get one free sale at CVS. She emailed CVS about her frustrations and this is what they emailed back:
Thank you for contacting CVS/pharmacy. Your e-mail has reached the Customer Relations Department. We appreciate the time you have taken to contact us with your inquiry.
In the case where a particular item is on sale for buy one get one free (BOGO), you are only allowed to use one manufacturers BOGO coupon. For instance, if Revlon lipstick is on sale for BOGO, you can use one manufacturers BOGO coupon. You would get both items free and pay any applicable tax. We reserve the right to limit quantities. If our store is running a sale for BOGO, you can use two manufacturers coupons for a specific dollar amount off. For example, if Revlon lipstick is on sale at our store for BOGO, you can use two $1.00 off Revlon lipstick manufacturer coupons.
Again, thank you for contacting us. We value your business and look forward to serving you in the future. Have a wonderful evening!
Sincerely,
CVS/pharmacy
Customer Relations
*******************************************
Victory, right?! I will be posting this with all the CVS Store guide info. I would suggest printing it off and keeping it with you every time you shop at CVS. This may come in handy if any issues should arise.
Also, I posted previously about my thoughts on using 2 coupons on a buy one get one free sale. I thought I’d go ahead and re-post what I stated for new readers.
Can you use two manufacturer (money off) coupons on a buy one get one free sale?
In my opinion YES! Now this is just my opinion and you don ‘t have to agree with it.
The reason I feel this way is because a stores sale has nothing to do with a manufacturer coupon. These are 2 separate ways to get a discount and when combined you can save quite a bit. As couponers, that’s what we do. We wait for a store sale and combine it with a manufacturers coupon to snag a sweet deal! With that being said, using 2 coupons on a buy one get one free sale (in my opinion) is the same as using coupons with any other in-store sale.
Some stores will also try to stop you from using a coupon on each item when they’re offering a buy one get one free sale. Most store coupon policies state that you CAN use a coupon on each item, so in my opinion them not allowing you to use both coupons is ridiculous. What some cashiers don’t realize is that either way you pay for the 2 products (cash or coupons) they’ll be getting the same amount back. They will be getting the cash right then or the coupons once they mail them in for redemption. Plus, by sending in the 2 coupons they will also be making an $0.08 handling fee on each one…hmmm… I think I’d rather choose the manufacturer coupons!
When a store is having a buy one get one free sale, it’s really more of a great advertsing tool. People think WOW! I am getting something free! Really, though, a buy one get one free sale is a 50% off sale, but actually not even as great. With a 50% off sale, you ONLY have to purchase one product. With a bogo sale, you’re forced to purchase two. This brings me to my next point. If two items were on a 50% sale you would be able to use a manufacturer coupon on each of them, so why is there such an issue with doing this on a buy one get one free sale?
A manufacturer coupon states one item per purchase. If you purchase two items you CAN use two coupons and you are purchasing two items in a buy one get one free sale. You are purchasing two at 50% off the retail price. No matter how they show up on your receipt, that is exactly what you’re doing.
When a manufacturer puts out a high value coupon for a certain product and lots of stores have sales for this product, that means one thing– the manufacturer wants you to GO buy that product. Even if you snag the product for FREE- they still want you to try it. If you like it, then that means cash in their pockets, since you’ll probably be purchasing this item again, again, and again. That’s the whole point of putting coupons out there and having in-store sales and promotions— to get you to try products you never would have otherwise.
Well, I could probably make a few more points, but I think I’ll stop there. I’d love to hear all of your opinions on this topic? Do you agree or disagree?
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Lynn says:
I wonder if Target has the same policy. I bought the Special K that were buy two boxes of cereal, get the free fruit bars free. I used on coup that was good on 2 boxes of cereal and then tried to use a dollar off the cereal bars and the register caught it and it said “cant use coupon on a free item”…..So they must be getting smart about it.
jodi says:
I think we should be able to use coupons on BOGO sales because regardelss if we get it free or not they WILL be reinbursed for that coupon.
Sunshine says:
Wow, I really enjoy learning how to save money from your website. It is the best! Recently I have been trying to use coupons, but have not quite learned the trick yet to using coupons to my advantage. I also have a BOGO manufacturer’s coupon and have been wondering if I would be able to use those during BOGO store events. Last night I was even searching the web to find my answers…then, low and behold…you post up my answer! Thank you so much!! Love your website and keep up the awesome work!
Ellaci says:
Thank you, Collin, for that explanation. I am pretty new at this coupon “stuff” and I finally understand the couponing with the BOGO. It always seem to me that since the second one was free, we shouldn’t use a coupon, but what you said makes sense. Now, it’s just up to the individual stores as like what happen with Lynn above at Target.
Anonymous says:
What does BOGO mean?
Sunshine says:
It usually means Buy One, Get One (free), but Payless Shoes does Buy One, Get One (half-off). Hope that helps!
Ellaci says:
Belongs here….Buy one, get one free.
Ellaci says:
Buy one, get one free….
Ellaci says:
Sorry folks, put this in the wrong spot
Anonymous says:
Thank you!
lisa says:
I have not ran across any problems at cvs but I think it helps to really know the people that work there, and try to be nice and have a good relationship with them you can get more out of them. (I don’t mean to sound ugly, because I really like them there) and that can be applied at any store.
Amanda says:
I agree completely with Collin!! I get really irritated when the cashiers act as if you are taking money from their pockets! What should they care anyway, if I get an item that is .99 cents for free because I happen to have a dollar off coupon then so be it. They will still get their hourly wage and the store will receive the full dollar back plus an 8 cent fee they receive!! So sounds like a good deal on both ends right?! Thanks Collin for inspiring us everyday to use our coupons
SaraJC says:
Totally agree!
ellen says:
Thanks so much for posting this topic, this is one that has been fuzzy for me and therefore hard to explain myself when I am getting smart (stupid) comments from cashiers about doing this. I try to explain I am using the coupon for the one I am buying, but that doesn’t always clear things up. Nice to see it laid out for me, plain and simple…really, if I can understand this, then surely all those wonderful cashiers we deal with should be able to see the light..
Lynne W says:
I totally agree with Collin. They do get reimbursed. In this economy stores should be greatful for any money at all. Usually it’s just bad employee training. And some employees seem to think we are trying to put one over on them or have jealousy issues.
fuzzymitten says:
I agree with Collin and Lynne W. If the store is getting reimbursed for the coupon and a handling fee, I don’t know why the employees should care. I think it come down to lack of knowledge from poor customer service training and understanding coupon processing. You would think the companies would want to try to keep customers in this bad economy, especially with the high unemployment rate in CA.
Anonymous says:
i have never had a problem with mean cashiers or not being able to use a coupon even to get stuff free. most of the time they let me do things to get items free that would normally require more than one transaction! and i coupon at lots of stores. I am always friendly and they are friendly right back!! I think its all in your attitude! so smile and dont go expecting issues! collin i have learned so much from you ! u are awesome.
Robin says:
We encountered the same problem at Walmart last evening and again this morning… The cashiers don’t know their coupon policy, they told us that if the coupon had the same bar code number that they couldn’t take coupon (how dumb is that). We were also told this morning that if you have a BOGO that you couldn’t use coupons for the items; we would have to choose either the BOGO or the individual coupons. Needless to say we left Walmart rather frustrated!!
Lacey says:
If I were you, I would call and talk to the Store Manager at Walmart. Don’t settle for anyone less. If he/she does not respond in accordance to their coupon policy, then call the 800 # online. Find out the # to the District Manager’s office. The District Manager’s secretary actually got this all fixed for me. They made sure our store knew the policy. Over a year ago, I took the time to do this. Now, our store admits (LOL) the coupon policy listed online is for the stores and has it posted in the store. Cashiers and MANAGERS have a clue now that it exists. It may take you a little bit of time, but it will be well worth it b/c price matching at times really helps the budget. I don’t have a Target where I live, so I utilize Walmart for grocery store/Target ads within 50 mile radius. I hope this helps you out.
Sun says:
Hi Collin,
Yaaaayyy!!! Thank you so much for sharing this. I had the same problem at Walgreens. And I was not able to get my deal. Armed with the info you just gave me, I wrote coporate Walgreens. I will let you know what they say.
bev says:
at Walgreens you have to be careful which coupon they scan first…if they scan a $1/2, then a $0.50 off one the second will not work, but if you scan them in reverse, it works just fine. when you use the $1/2 it “merges” the items and considers it one item in the register.
Hippy says:
Thanks Collin for what u do. I am a Walgreens,cvs and target hater!!!!!!!!!! I only shop at 1 Publix in my area (the other one stinks, a cashiers actually grabed 2 coupons from my hand and said u can just use these)) and Walmart. Thru the years I have assorted problems with the stores i hate so I only go to those stores if I have too. Besides the cranky cashiers, I do not like the fact that there is a short date to use the register rewards. Most of the time the stuff is for store brand products, or products I would never use. And of course they are always out of the products on sale. So I stick to 2 stores which is plenty for me. I love my Publix and now know some of the cashiers and management. Walmart is a hard coupon place for me, but I always manage to get a few cupons in. My new thing now is one shopping trip a week to Publix, and every other week at walmart. If I need staples like milk or bread I send my husband. That saves money for me cuz , as my hubby says ” if u don’t go u don’t spend”.
Theresa says:
I agree with Collin, but my Walgreens won’t take the coupon. The machine beeped at me too. I might try it again though with the coffee mate just to see what happens.
Mom of 3 says:
Collin, I completely agree with you! You technically are still purchasing 2 items in a store’s BOGO sale. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to other ways to expand my couponing. And to those who have had problems with Walgreens and Walmart, I feel really bad for you. I have had some issues at both stores, but not nearly what you all have been through. I cannot imagine how frustrating that would be. Keep trying!!!
Diane L. says:
My CVS has always been very good about allowing the use of coupons with BOGO deals. The cashiers are very friendly and helpful. But my Walgreens manager does not allow the use of a BOGO coupon on a BOGO sale.
Tracy says:
Until yesterday, I had never had a bad experience with a cashier. I wanted to use My “free gallon of milk with $100 purchase” coupon and my “free 1/2 gallon choco. milk” coupon. I was told by the cashier that they looked fraudulent. The manager then backed her up and agreed that the were fraudulent! I told them that they didn’t have to except them, but that I am as honest as the day is long and that they weren’t frauds. It was horrible. Then to top it off, when got home I slipped on the ice in my driveway and fell on my butt! The silver lining in this story….I didn’t break even 1 of the 2 dozen eggs I was carrying. LOL
Couponer says:
can you use a B1G1 Free coupon and a cents off coupon together?
Tracy says:
If it is just a regular sale, (not a BOGO sale) then yes, you should be able to. I almost always have to explain this to the cashier though. What I say is “the .50 off coupon entitles me to save money on the one I am buying, the get one free coupon entitles me to a free one for buying the first one” Usually this clears it up, but I seem to have explain it all the time. Hope this helps
Ellen says:
Big corporations (like CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc) have big advertising agencies that run the price promotions and the coupons. It is not accidental that the sales run when the coupons are published. They know what they are doing; after all they are experts. Therefore, it’s not at all fraudulent to use what they give us, is it?
Craig says:
What is exactly Walgreens stand on this?
One time I can do it, others times no. Who is right? I sure wish it was consistant. It would be nice to know how corporate stands on this so I could (hopefully) tell the cashier(s), Look moron! this is how it is! LOL!!
Craig says:
Oh waht I meant was, one time I could use 2 BOGO man. qs on their BOGO free sales, other times (due to cashier telling me no I cant do it) no problems.
In example of recent: Walgreens had Oust BOGO F I was denied using 2 of the BOGO f man.q’s but Ive done it before at other Walgreens. Ran into this twice. I dont argue (to date since I dont know the right policy there) and just dont get the stuff then. But would again love to know there stance.
Craig says:
Collin!, may I suggest a area at the top listed as “Getting Started” or something like that.
Under this area this should be placed along with how to for Walgreens with the RRs and stuff. CVS ordeal. How to sections ya know. You have that in a round about way but ya got to know where its at (or keep clicking around till you find it). Just think it would be easier/faster route for us all and the newbies coming on board.
Craig says:
Ya know I havent searched this site completely and maybe this is all under Couponing 101 that I missed till now. Forgot to look at the bottom here! LOL. So perhaps sticky it there too. Heck it might be there now. I will have to look a tad latter since Im running late. Duh!!
Kay says:
A great resource for you are the websites….. Iheartcvs.com and Iheartwalgreens.com
They have all the info you might need and explain about RR and Extra Care Bucks and all the ins and outs of the stores. Also they have the upcoming ads for several weeks ahead of time.
It sure helps to plan ahead on the best time to use coupons at these stores.
Happy Couponing to all!
Valerie says:
I went to Waldbaum’s Foodmart today. They had Del Monte fruit in the glass jars, B1G1. I had 2 coupons from VocalPoint that were B1G1, so I got 4 jars for free.
Dana says:
I check this page at least twice a day to see what deals you have up. One of the things that really bothers me is that 99% of every one on here downs all cashiers!!! As someone who has worked in retail for 20 years,, the call center ( NOT CORPORATE LIKE YOU THINK) that you call when you are upset for each company will tell you what ever to make you happy they are not face to face with you like a cashier. Also half the time these companys change the coupon policy over and over and it takes them a long time to get this in their stores. I know in my store we get fraudlent coupons every day,, and some one who thinks they need to buy 40 or more of a product with all their coupons and talk down to each employee. Dont get me wrong I love using coupons, love helping my customers use their coupons for a great deal, just not those who throw things in my face and want everything on the shelve and not let another customer get in on a good deal to. retail Manager
Barbara says:
I was at Walmart the other night and paid for my items in the electronics department (had to buy more ink for the printer so I could print coupons ha! ha!). I handed the cashier my coupons and my son was distracting me telling me what he wanted for his birthday. I saw the cashier scan the coupons. I noticed he held his hand over the bar code. As I was walking to the door I looked at my receipt and none of the coupons were on the receipt. I went back to the electronics department and told the cashier to give me back my coupons since they were not deducted off the items purchased. He said he didn’t know what happened but I got my $5.00 worth of coupons back. I do not like the Walgreens closest to my house. Thera Flu was on sale for $3.99 and I had a Walgreens coupon for $2.00′s and a Manufactor coupon for $2.00′s the cashier paged the manager and he said I could use one or the other but not both!! The cashier at that Walgreens have been trained to use the Walgreen’s coupon 1st and then the Manufactor’s coupon last. I love this site. Thank you for helping me save money.
Craig says:
Glad to here ya went back to get that cleared up at Wallymart! Cant believe that happened. Perhaps he was watching what he was doing, or maybe he did know and was trying to pull a fast one. Hmmmn? Glad it worked out in the end for you.
Craig says:
Wait now that I think about that, you should’ve had him redo the order w/ the qs or tell em to forget the whole thing! lol
Latasha says:
I agree with Ellen- its not coincidence that an item that there is a coupon for goes on sale the same week the coupon is released. Companies do this intentionally to get people aware and interested in their product and most of the stores that carry these things don’t seem to realize that. I had to take my Rite Aid policy in with me to do the Nivea deal (store sale for bogo and a coupon for bogo so I only paid tax) and even the store manager, (at two different locations!) didn’t know about this policy. Its kind of sad that stores don’t even know what they are or aren’t able to do when it comes to coupons.
Latasha says:
Forgot to add this to my above comment. With the previous Olay deal that Walgreens had (same as this week with the buy the lotion get the in-shower lotion free. Body wash was also on sale and there was a coupon that was ‘buy body wash get lotion free’) I was told by the manager of one of the local stores that I couldn’t do this transaction. I contacted corporate and they forwarded my complaint on to the manager of the store I had the issue with. This is the response I got from the store manager
Ms. Marston,
I’ll try to attach a copy of the coupon policy below. I would have to see the receipt from the Cypress store to determine how the transaction was rang in order to see when/how the coupon was applied. There are different ways to apply a manufacturers coupon and the receipt will indicate which process was used. Thanks again for your response,
XXXX XXXXXXX
Coupon FAQ’s
Use the information below to ensure that your store is following the appropriate policy when accepting both Walgreens and manufacturer coupons.
Can a customer use both a Manufacturer’s coupon and Walgreens coupon for the same item in a purchase?
One Walgreen and one manufacturer coupon can be used for the same item, unless either coupon prohibits such use.
Walgreens Roto Ad Coupons, Instant Value Coupons (IVC), and a manufacturer’s coupon can be used towards the purchase of any one item. “One coupon per purchase” means one coupon must be tendered for each PIECE sold.
What happens if the Manufacturer coupon’s value is more than the retail value?
Walgreens does not provide cash back if a coupon is presented for more than the purchase value of the item (e.g., the customer is using the coupon to purchase a clearance item).
If the retail of the item is less than the face value of the coupon:
the coupon value shall be the retail value if the state requires taxes to be paid on that item,
the coupon value shall be the retail value plus taxes if the state does not require taxes to be paid on the item.
Can a customer use a coupon after a sale has been made?
All valid coupons must be presented to the cashier at the time of sale only!
If there is no quantity limit on a Walgreens coupon can a manager impose his/her own limit?
Yes, managers have the right to limit the quantities of all advertised items.
Does Walgreens price match or accept coupons from other retailers?
Walgreens does not price match with other retailer.
Walgreens does not accept coupons from other retailers or coupons for products not carried in our stores.
Walgreens does not accept expired coupons.
A customer purchased an item using a manufacturer’s coupon and wants to return it. At what price do we return the item?
If an item purchased with a manufacturer’s coupon is returned, the customer will get the retail price of the item. If the customer purchased an item with a Walgreens coupon, the customer receives the price paid.
Example 1: If the retail price for an item is $1.49 and the manufacturers coupon was 25¢ off, the refund amount would be $1.49 plus tax.
Example 2: If the retail price for an item is $1.49 and the Walgreens coupon was 25¢ off, the refund amount would be $1.24 plus tax.
Stores are not required to keep Roto ad coupons. What about Instant Value Coupons?
For Instant Value Coupons, stores receive credit from the manufacturer ONLY if the coupon is scanned. Once an IVC coupon has been scanned and the transaction is finished, you can discard the coupon.
I hope this helps some people with their deals . . . it didn’t specify the situation I encountered but it may help others with their issues.
Emily says:
Agree 100%. You did a great job stating it clearly!
Bella says:
Hello Collin! Could you or anyone with more coupon experience help understand this BOGO thing. I read the post but : ( Am I understanding this right. ( If I have a BOGO free item M Q ; like the Olay Quench where I buy it and get small lotion free. If I go to Walgreens and see they have the exact items listed in there weekly ad circular. Do I use the M Q to get both free? Or no sense in using Q? Or if I have say 2 Q for $ 2.00 off 1 item do I use those? I guess what I’m not understanding is. If i’m buying one item to get another free item, how does the BOGO free item M Q work with items to make them free? Wow I feel silly! But happy cause Your site is great and I’m learning. Thanks! P.S Looking foward to the Follow Me Mondays! God Bless!
Bella says:
Hello Collin! Me again. Maybe you do another Follow Me Monday for the BOGO post to help us understand better. Well at least me. I would so watch it! And Thanks again!
jamie says:
Where can I find the CVS coupon policy to print off???? I have looked on the CVS website and everything and can’t find it…
savyshoppingmommy says:
I know you dont do shopping store deals normally, but I did go to Kroger the other day and I had a Kroger Store Coupon for Finish Laundry Detergent for $2.00 off and I paired it with my $2.50 Manufacture Coupon…and they told me you have to use one or the other. However the manager came over and backed up the cashier and said she would honor this one time but for the future know that I cannot combine. Plus they tried stating they say do not combine, and that is true, not to combine 2 Kroger coupons on one item or 2 manufactuers on one item…but they werent catching on. I had just recently moved, and I have always done this at other Krogers at my old house and never once had a problem. This is what we all do at any other stores…Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid etc. I cannot find their coupon policy so I was going to give them a call to find out for sure but this seems like a bunch of bull to me. If anyone can help me with this I would really appreciate it!
Laurie says:
Most Kroger coupons (the ones that print at the register) are manufacture coupons. The ones that you get in the mail from Kroger are Kroger coupons, and should be able to be combined. At least that is how it is at my Kroger.
savyshoppingmommy says:
Thanks Laurie, thats what I figured and have always done. I was reffering to the ones in the mail not the print outs. I just need to find a print out for when I shop.
shelby says:
Thanks for posting Latasha! As always, they mention nothing about their policy on using a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale. It’s a shame how inconsistant that is and depends on the cashiers and management at a particular store. This is the one store that I can never do this kind of transaction at, because it is not stated in the policy!
Denise says:
I agree, as long as the store does not exclude combining them. (Walgreen’s allows each store to set their own policy. One local manager explained to me his coupon policy and this BOGO scenario was excluded, so I can respect that.)
yvonne says:
Hi,
I shopped at Target yesterday and it was a bad experience. I had a rooky cashier that took really long processing my coupons. That was embarrasing to me.
I just wanted to let you guys know that using a manufacture coupon on top of a BOGO coupon might now be an issue or even not allowed anymore at some Target stores.
They’ve had too much fraud with the coupons. This was In a Las Vegas Target in the Boca Park.