Follow Me Thursday as I Finish off My Very Interesting Phone Calls to Walgreens…
Are you eager to see Part 3 of my 3 part video series that highlights phone calls I made to Walgreens stores across the country?! Well, first, if you haven’t already, make sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2. I ended the video yesterday in the middle of a oh so helpful conversation 😉 with a Walgreen’s customer service rep at the corporate level. Today’s video will highlight the remainder of this interesting phone call! Enjoy!
**If you can’t see the video, then go here to watch it.
*Please note that I contacted Walgreens managers in the following 4 states: Idaho, North Carolina, Missouri and Texas; and I called the Walgreens Corporate Customer Service Center in Alabama. Because these states only require one party consent to record a telephone conversation, I was able to record these phone calls legally! 🙂
Great job Collin and thanks for doing this it was really fun and informative to watch you and listen.
To give each store manager control over coupon use sounds like it has something to do with their profit/loss per location. I’m laughing…how rediculous does that sound.
Who knows, maybe each store is only allowed to send into corporate some dollar amount per week in coupon use…kidding…but who knows.
Certainly not a mainstream company that is consumer oriented.
Serioulsy, if you owned a company would you let each store manager make bottom line decisions that effect total profit. Driving away customers…way to go!
Good God, get me a job in corporate! I’ll shape ’em up real quick!
I wish you could I work for them.
Hi Collin – I loved this series! I have to say you have inspired me to stand up for myself, when i know I am not doing anything wrong. I do not regularly shop at Walgreens, but when I have I have been lucky enough to have a relatively positive experience ( my closest Walgreens is in Lake Stevens, Wa) where the staff is friendly and helpful, and usually well informed. They are usually out of stock though by Monday afternoon, so if I don’t make it by Monday morning I just forget about going at all. I have had poor experiences at Albertson’s, thanks to a clerk who has sent THREE of us out of the store in tears (North Marysville, WA) ! But I’ve had super good experiences at Target, Safeway, and Rite Aid. I just got off the phone with Rite Aid corporate and left POSITIVE feedback for the helpful clerk and manager, so they never sour to us krazy couponers 😉 Lesson learned – always SPEAK UP! Couponing is not stealing! What a blessing couponing has been to my family and our budget!!! Thanks for all you do! I hope this is the first of many phone to store series in the future 🙂 – Cindy
I’m in Lake Stevens, WA too. Small world!!
Unbelievable!! You crack me up!! If only you could actually get a message through to corporate…
We all know that someone from corporate will be notified of this! Lets cross our fingers and be positive. Loved seeing this Collin June! haha
Just went to Walgreens today and they would not let me use the $2/2 reach toothbrushes because the toothbrushes were 99 cents and they could not adjust the coupon down 2 cents. I am done with Walgreens and Rite Aid. They will end up losing a lot of customers if they don’t come up with a coupon policy.
Ugh…I’m done with Rite Aid too. Maybe it’s just my Rite Aid, but it’s B-A-D!!!
same thing happened to me at walgreens with the reach toothbrushes. I used a coupon and one cashier adjusted it and my mom used one at the photo counter and the cashier didnt want to adjust. i told her that I had just done it up front. they talked with that cashier to see how she entered it and finally did it for my mom, but the mgr. didnt seem to really want to do it.
Walgreens cannot adust a price of a coupons. but we can adjust the price of the item.
I had a women had a coupon for dogfood for $2.00, but the dogfood was $1.99, so she wasn’t able to use it, but she did agree to adjust the price of the dogfood by adding one penny. It wasn’t costing her anything by adding one penny to the item.
My Walgreens has adjusted the coupon amount many times for me.
While I’m not a big fan of the Walgreens Rewards Card (in KC test market) it did make using these $2/2 Reach coupons easy. They ring up regular price $1.59 then show “reward $0.60” on the reciept so the system had no problem with the coupon. I bought 4 and the ad said limit 3 but all 4 rang up on with “rewards” and I used the coupons then got the $4 in RR’s! Maybe I’m going to like this new card after all!
Hey Collin, great series on the Walgreens calls to stores. Personally, I stopped going to Walgreens completely about a year ago because of their absolute lack of knowledge and consistency with coupons. It doesn’t matter how good the deal could be, I just don’t have the energy to go round and round with a store clerk or manager. Until they operate like a “real” corporation and have an official coupon policy, they won’t be getting any business from me.
This rep’s explanation is worse that my 10 year old son trying to explain when he is cold busted.
LOL!! 😀 Too funny! And SOOOOO true!
Thanks for the great videos and for trying to get answers to the Walgreens policy! I HATE walgreens b/c its so frustrating to shop with coupons there and don’t even shop in the store anymore b/c of it! My gosh maybe we should print out all of these comments and send to corporate so they can see how many customers they lose to CVS b/c of it! Thanks again for all of your hard work I love HIP2SAVE and always spread the word about your blog to everyone I know!
Go CVS!
I have had more issues with CVS than Walgreens.
I LOVE CVS!! <3 I would (and DO) choose CVS over Walgreens any time! EVERY time! CVS will ALWAYS adjust any manufacturer coupons down, adjust ECBs down, give rain checks for whatever they are out of for the right price plus ECBs……all together WAAAAY better! (Walgreens won't give rainchecks for RRs.)
You are so FLIPPIN’ adorable!!! Thanks for the info.. i’m glad that i have a great walgreens with good/helpful cashiers that even gives me coupons 🙂
OMG…welcome to my world! I swear, I’ve had so many conversations like these with various customer service departments regarding coupons. I’ve actually started announcing to people that “I’m going down the rabbit hole” every time I attempt one of these conversations, because it always winds up being quite the experience. Thank you, Collin, for all you do!
OK I’m waiting for the part when Corporate Walgreens sees these videos and responds. WIth a site as popular as Hip2Save’s, I’d be stunned if they are not aware of these…
I was seriously laughing out loud…. BAHHAHAHAA…I have avoided Walgreens and CVS a bit more out of intimidation… Nice to know everything is so cut and dry…
At least CVS has a coupon policy and are very coupon friendly. It’s ridiculus to lose a customer over $1.00 +/-.
This video series was awesome and hilarious!! I decided to call Walgreens’ corporate customer service too. I asked the same questions and got just about the same answers(“its up to the managers discretion”). I then asked about the corporate coupon policy and the person said “its on walgreens.com”…so I said “great, because Im on there right now, can you help direct me on the website to find it?” after a few minutes of takin me places where the policy was clearly not at i was put on hold… after waitin I was told there was no policy that they had taken it down from the website (????) Thats when I explained my frustration and told that person that its gettin to the point where I do not want to shop there any more because all the store locations are extremely inconsistant.. I also mentioned that I blog with LOTS of people who have stopped shoppin there or are also frustrated.. I was then told my message was recorded and would be sent to up to corporate and that someone would be callin me in the next day or two.. so I guess we’ll see… Other people should call n maybe just maybe we can get something done about this! Thanks Collin for inspiring me! You’re the best!
LOL! Man I wish it didn’t end with Part 3 – you can’t PAY for entertainment like that! 🙂 Painful on Walgreens end though, good grief.
A shout out to my Utah Walgreens for always taking ALL of my coupons and being so nice and accomodating!
No all Utah Walgreen’s! We were faithfully going to a Walgreen’s because we thought they were coupon friendly, but then they started giving us grief about how many RR we could use on a transaction and started throwing coupons back in our faces. Way to go Collin for trying to make sense out of the madness of Walgreen’s coupon policy or lack there of.
Our Utah Walgreens are usually good. I haven’t and many problems at all. I just hope they get a consistent coupon policy for everyone else it is just not fair for everyone to have a different way of doing things. I know our Syracuse Walgreens is very hard to deal with but the Layton and Clinton Walgreens are the BEST!!!
I like both the Ogden Walgreen’s – but it depends on who the cashier is, some of the older women can be difficult. One pulls out a huge magnifying glass when anyone hands her coupons, not sure if she can’t see or what, but she carefully and slowly looks at each coupon under her HUGE magnifier and then proceeds to scan the coupons. It takes all I have not to burst, and I’m always a bit terrified that maybe I’m using a coupon wrong and she’ll think badly of me. Any other Ogdenites know who I’m talking about? I’ve had pretty good luck othewise with overages and great deals at Wags, thanks to HIP2SAVE.
SERIOUSLY! Are you just trying to make people look stupid?? Trying to enflame your readers? What is the point of this?? Why don’t you INSTEAD come up with a solution, a way we might get this corrected. The Walgreens employees are not out to get couponers, and quite frankly some couponers are rude and standoffish feeling entitled-WRONG!
It is simply how you handle yourself. If you are sincere with helping people use their coupons at Walgreens why don’t you go to a higher level where they are paid SALARIES and capable of making a change….that will probably require us to watch all your goofy facial epressions in another series of calls though wouldn’t it?
I think a good majority of readers have had problems with Walgreens if they shop there. I do not shop there but have heard the horror stories before viewing these videos, these videos just further tell me that this company needs to get their act together. They need a formal coupon policy in place in print for every store to have the same rules. It is not meant for any of them to look stupid, since there is no set rule, and only “guidelines” she is just showing the inconsistencies between stores, and ever corporate didn’t know the answers. That is sad. Her call to corporate will hopefully get forwarded to someone higher up and hopefully something can be done about, any is more than welcome to call them and complain about. My guess is that you work for Walgreens by the way your post sounds, or know someone who does. Yes, some couponers are as you say, the majority are not, and the majority are following normal coupon rules. I can certainly understand a couponer getting upset at one store when allowed to do the same thing at another store but not at the one they are in after they have done all their shopping.
PLease learn how to spell.
I don’t think it came off that Walgreens’ employees are out to get couponers. I think it simply showed that there is no education on policies and no consistency. And Collin DID come up with a solution- a corporate coupon policy. Now if only someone who has the power to create that would actually DO IT!
And no one forced you to watch it…
Really, perhaps you haven’t been following this blog for long. As a regular reader, I’m happy to update you. Many, many readers are having issues with Walgreen’s lack of a coupon policy. It’s frustrating to both couponers and to the store’s employees. Many customers have made efforts to contact corporate, with no consistent or reliable answers. The point of the video was to have solid evidence of the confusion this is causing (on both the consumer’s end and the employee’s end). I have no doubt that Walgreens corporate has been contacted regarding this video, and that it is being reviewed by those in the company with some authority. Perhaps this more drastic step will be a catalyst for some changes to be made.
Personally, I would like to see them take a BOGO Q with a BOGO sale. I would like to see them adjust the value of the Q when it exceeds the price of the item. (I think all couponers would like this!) That said, the bottom line is that consistency is the most important thing. If Walgreens wants their coupon policy to specifically state that they won’t adjust Q’s and they won’t take a BOGO on a BOGO, that is fine. As a consumer, I then have a reliable policy and can use my coupons intelligently with that information. What most of us on this site are opposed to is the wasted time spent matching coupons and planning trips, only to have the deal not work because of inconsistencies in the current “guidelines.” Furthermore, I think a policy would be helpful for cashiers, as they could be confident when declining a coupon, knowing that all stores are handling coupons the same way. And, the cashiers won’t be treated poorly by those few couponers who might be rude as a manifestation of their frustration with the system, or lack thereof (though all the couponers I know attempt to do it ethically).
I hope this helps clarify for you. If you would rather not watch the video segments (which most of us find educational and entertaining), you are certainly welcome to avoid clicking on the play button, or to select another site that is more suited to your tastes. Have a nice day!
Way to go Maria. Well said. I think Collin was just laughing because the situation is laughable. A corporation should have consistency in how they handle their business. Most corporate offices have policies which they ask their front line to follow so that customers have a consistent “customer experience”. It really is a must. And in a retail business where so many of the products have multiple coupons being released by the manufacturers should just know how to handle them. It makes it easier on everyone – the managers, the cashiers, the couponers, and even the people waiting behind in line!
FOOL NUMBER #2, AKA ANONYMOUS ..AKA.. SCARY CAT AKA REALLY…YOU AND ANONYMOUS NEED TO GO HANGOUT…MAYBE WHILE YOUR AT IT START A BLOG AND CALL WAGS CORPORATE TOO AND FIND US A “REAL SOLUTION”
ARE YOU SERIOUS, WOULD YOU HAD PREFERRED COLLIN TO LAUGH OR WOULD YOU HAD PREFERRED HER TO GO POSTAL ON THEM FROM FRUSTRATION.. MOST OF US GO THROUGH THIS EVERYDAY AT WAGS. I PERSONALLY HAVE DONE WHAT YOU SAID AND HAVE CALLED CORPORATE AND REQUESTED HIGHER LEVEL PEOPLE AND STILL END UP AT THE SAME DAMN PLACE..
ONE QUESTION…WHY DO YOU COME TO COLLINS BLOG, BECAUSE CLEARLY YOU ARE PRETTY NEGATIVE..
Profanity = uneducated. I use coupons at Walgreens every week. I get frustrated sometimes, but I do NOT take it out on unsuspecting employees and exploit them for thousands to see.
I feel so sorry for you, REALLY (nice name!). You have the time in your day to leave mean comments…. you seriously have NO life!
Not everyone uses coupons or understands on how they can work. This includes some employees. It is up to each store and depends on the type of customers they get.
Some customers want to do up to 3 to 8 different transactions so they can get the RR. This poses a problem, it ties up the cashier and ties up the line. Employees are not “Trained” on how coupons works.
Thus they SHOULD make a policy!!! I will try at most 2 because more is just selfish I think. Especially with a line. get back in line if you need ton make so many transactions…that’s just me 😉
I am sorry to say but no one really cares about your comments. Go away PLEASE! HTS is a gold mine and we appreciate all the assistance in saving money. If you want to offer something of value then post but no one really cares about this kind of comment. Remember Colin is a person and has feelings!!!!
Boo! Boo! Go away fly! Go bother someone else!
I quit shopping there a year ago. You wouldn’t believe all the calls I made to corporate on the same issue. I referenced my case # each call. I called about once a week b/c after each call they would say someone (I requested the District Manager) would call me back in 2 days. I would never hear anything. I actually kept a log of these calls. There were 2 different issues last year. On both occasions, I logged my calls to Corporate. I found on average, it took about 3 months to hear back from the D.M. At that point, you would have to think to remember why you originally called. Both times, I was left by him that he would call me back in a couple of days after he spoke to the Store Manager. NEVER did I ever hear from him again! He never called back as he said. So, it doesn’t matter if Collin had screamed for a person with a salary…SHE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND ONE!!! I started wondering if there were any such figures or if they were all hanging out on the golf course somewhere. It will take something like this to change a store’s policy, or in this case, create one!
Your comments are simply negative and ridiculous. I have been made to feel stupid, like a cheater, and so embarrassed at MULTIPLE Walgreen’s and I have only been couponing since February. I would LOVE to just be able to go in, pick out my items, and get out the door, but it is so hit or miss that my anxiety level goes up every time I get to the register. The point is that we are increasing their sales and doing nothing wrong as long as we use the coupons ethically. How are we supposed to even know what’s “right” or “wrong” if they don’t figure it out first and then educate their shoppers and their employees? They are the ones who deal with the manufacturers so they should be able to figure out the rules of the game and then just stick by it! Would make everyone’s lives easier.
By the way I was referring to “Really”‘s comments.
DITTO!!! I have definitely noticed the attitude against coupons! Luckily i’ve had a LOT of really good experiences too. But you never know what to expect, Its just another type of “cash” but I think some people think you’re scamming because you get it free…they don’t understand how the cash works behind the scenes.
I have a feeling that you are a cashier at Walgreens? Am I close and you are just taking this a little too personal?
Really!!! Not hard to figure out where you work is it? LOL
LOL Your so cute and funny!
I seriously can’t believe they have no policy. I went to Walgreens yesterday and stacked coupons to get the Scholls for her and the clerk told me no because after the Walgreens coupon the total was $1.99 and my second coupon was for $2. I went back today with my husband and we got a manager up there. He told the clerk to adjust it down so I got it for free finally.
That was me ^^^ btw! lol
Random Walgreens question. Can I use a $5RR from the ProGlide Razor (RR says P&G) towards the Crest toothpaste and something else and still get the $3 RR from P&G? Or would it not print bc I used a different amount P&G RR towards another P&G RR item.
It would not print b/c you are paying with a P&G RR on a transaction that rewards you with a P&G RR. HTH!
Thanks! I wasn’t sure since they were for different amounts bc I thought I had read that they wouldn’t print only if it was for the same $ amount RR.
Shame on you Collin! You are clearly trying to be a “right fighter” rather than a solution finders. I feel bad for some of these people you are out right making fun of in these videos. I understand the quest for answers, but the bantering in an effort to be funny and make someone look stupid is very sad. I know you and your site don’t need me, but it is this very attitude that make couponers unattractive to stores.
FOOL NUMBER #1, AKA ANONYMOUS ..AKA.. SCARY CAT
ANONYMOUS PEOPLE ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY…
ARE YOU SERIOUS, WOULD YOU HAD PREFERRED COLLIN TO LAUGH OR WOULD YOU HAD PREFERRED HER TO GO POSTAL ON THEM FROM FRUSTRATION.. MOST OF US GO THROUGH THIS EVERYDAY AT WAGS. I PERSONALLY HAVE DONE WHAT YOU SAID AND HAVE CALLED CORPORATE AND REQUESTED HIGHER LEVEL PEOPLE AND STILL END UP AT THE SAME DAMN PLACE..
ONE QUESTION…WHY DO YOU COME TO COLLINS BLOG, BECAUSE CLEARLY YOU ARE PRETTY NEGATIVE..
Please refer to comment #67.5 for clarification. Thanks!
Shame on You, Anon!!! You have absolutely NO LIFE! And I know that you are actually the same person to comment as REALLY above!
How sad… you really need to get off your computer, put down that big bag of chips and do something with your pathetic life! 🙂
These calls were not made to harass the employees, they were made to get answers to some common coupon questions. Collin did not “banter” with the employees (although your use of that term is incorrect), she merely asked questions and rephrased the questions if necessary so that the person on the other end of the telephone could answer them. That’s normal conversational behavior.
No one appreciates these kinds of comments. HTS is a gold mine and we appreciate all the assistance in saving money. If you want to offer something of value then post but no one really cares about seeing this kind of post. Remember Colin is a person first and has feelings!!!!
Shoo fly don’t bother me! Go away fly! Go bother someone else!
Anonymous!! Not hard to figure out where you work.. LOL
I am not “really” my name is Andrea. I use coupons at Wags all the time. I do not work there. You’re right I used banter incorrectly. But, making fun of others is wrong on every level! Stupid facial expression, and laughing at people she was lying to, saying she was a new couponer. . . Personality flaw.
Who would have thought that you needed to call corporate to hear “if they let you use them you can”. They really need to get their act together.
thankfully, i was the first “real” couponer to hit my neighborhood wags a couple of years ago. I had 4 folks including the managers that i broke in by trying things and voiding and reringing a lot of sales. they were all awsome! after a year or so, they opened several new stores in my area and everyone went to a different store, so…wherever i go, they all know me and do what i ask them in the order i ask them to. it is refreshing to see the couponing policies evening out in my area, i have educated every employee i run into and showed a few other mom’s how to coupon at wags! i love the employees in my area and they are all amazing….we are up to about 20 employees we have educated about the limitations of coupons and the wags computers. As some of them progress in the wags company, they take over stores and i try to keep up with everyone, since then there have been some bad shoppers who engage in fradulent coupon activities and i have helped take a few down…YAY! I love my coupons and if you are patient and find a willing employee, i would say take the time to talk to your local wags employee in a nonconfrontational manner, let them know you will be back each week…and say sorry when they need to void something out and try again…my mom always said, a bit of honey will attract more flies than vinegar….with wags, this has held true! i am in south jersey!
SERIOUSLY to those people who say Collin or these other bloggers are “making fun” of employees of Walgreens are being ridiculous. We are not “making fun,” rather we are trying to prove that Walgreens needs to educate their employees and IF THEY HAD A COUPON POLICY their employees would be able to answer these questions! I know that at every job that I have had I tried my hardest to know EVERYTHING about that company so that way I could provide good customer service and when I didn’t know the answers to questions I was able to go to the owners or people higher up to get answers. I am never rude to the employees at Walgreens or the people on the phone at customer service, instead I let them know in a respectful manner that I am disappointed and/or frustrated so that way the message can get passed along and something can get done about it. People do this all time.. for example if you go to a resturant and are disappointed in the food and/or service you kindly ask for the manager and typically you’ll see that the manager does what he/she can do to make sure you the customer are satisfied. This is what you’d expect from any company, including Walgreens.
Amen!
Collin,
I think you’re AWESOME and I really enjoyed the videos! You were trying to show how inconsistent Walgreens is and I think you did just that. It didn’t seem like you were trying to make fun of anyone; a persons’ lack of knowledge is not your problem, but it is pretty amusing!
someone please send these videos to walgreens! I have to believe that the president would want to see these and would want to make a change! How embarassing!
Honestly, I used to be a Walgreens employee. Their coupon policy is very confusing. Even for employees. I always tried to help couponers because i LOVE to save!!! Sorry to say it really is up to the store manager on how the coupons are handle in that store. Instead of always calling the corporate talk to the store manager first. If he/she do not understand the situation, then contact corporate, but honestly they can NOT do anything about the situation. My best advise is to be nice to cashiers, go to a cosmetic register to pay, (avoiding lines) and follow the limits that the products have. I CAN’T STRESS ENOUGHT about people that want to get more than the limit. That alone causes a big problem. Even if you want to do separate transactions. That is the reason why there are no more items by monday night. Imagen how many complains we receive from other customers. That puts alot of stress on employees. What I do is that I go to different Walgreens there is like four around my area. That way everybody receives a chance to grab those good deals. Instead of being greety and grabing everything myself. Which would be nice for me, but not fair for everyone around my community.
Thank you so much for posting some really good advice without being rude like some other people who have blogged. Now I know some good tips for shopping at wags =)
I think most people who visit this site are “nice” and there are some who do let their greed get the best of them. However, this is a two way street between customers and cashiers and both cashiers and customers need sign posts and laws to navigate down the street (i.e. coupon policy). Without rules and sign posts (i.e. coupon policy), customers and cashiers will experience chaos. The drivers (customers and cashiers) will make up their own rules and then people can get into accidents or even hurt. A society needs to have order and rules. A coupon policy would provide some order to the world of Walgreens. Walgreens manages to put out a national ad–why not a national coupon policy of some sort??? Then cashiers and customers would know what the “rules and regs” were regarding coupons and maybe there would be less chaos in the world of Walgreens.Perhaps then the customers and cashiers would be able to drive down the two way street without having accidents or hurting someone if they knew what the post signs and laws were :).
Great phone calls. I wish it was more consistent at Walgreen’s when it came to coupons. I stick to one store that is a little more of a drive just because the cashier is willing to try the coupon deals.
Long ago (okay like 9 months ago), I used to put on a suit everyday and go to work, where I managed a department of people who worked hard and did the best job they could (healthcare, not retail, thank God). Unfortunately, despite training, it seemed like they never said things or answered questions the way I would have preferred. I can totally see why Walgreens employee’s sound like they don’t know what they are talking about, they don’t have the training to equip them, and they aren’t even able to look somewhere for answers.
If you are working for minimum wage, and you see someone trying to pay little to nothing for all sorts of merchandise, unless you understand that coupons equal cash, you are probably not going to react favorably. That said, I would think the store managers would have more of an understanding and respond more appropriately, so yes, I think Wags has some issues to fix. I really get the impression that the Walgreens whole attitude towards coupons is negative, and that probably starts at the top. Thanks Collin for trying to clear things up, we need a little humor in the scheme of things, because some days it is frustrating as heck!
I once read an article about Walgreens, which stated that they are one of the rare corporations that operates without debt, so I think that Walgreens has some things in common with us thrifty shoppers, and I hope they can get better aligned with us!
I’m really shocked that these decisions are made at the store level, to me it seems this would set them up for legal issues specifically discrimination??? H2S does have a lot of viewers so maybe a letter writing campaign could make a difference.
Too bad you’re missing out on some great deals by being misinformed. You can use a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale to get BOTH items for free! I have asked at various stores and at the corporate level with Publix, Target, Cvs, & yes, even Walgreens and have been told YES YOU CAN repeatedly. Instead of me coming out of pocket, the manufacturer picks up the tab for me when I use a BOGO coupon. The store gets paid their $ by the manufacturer so an item is being paid for. Collin was not bullying or poking fun at anyone. Walgreens is making these employees look foolish by not arming them with the tools they need to handle such questions….a clear and consistent coupon policy dictated and enforced at the corporate and retail level.
I enjoyed the first 2 so much I saved this one for tonight and sat down to watch it with a cup of Skinny Cow Chocolate Fudge Brownie (free with coupon)!
OOOhhh thanks for the reminder!! I’m going to bust mine out now…Yumm!!
Okay so I’ve posted two times already but this will be the third and last. I think it was great that Collin made these calls. I would have just had one suggestion for Collin when talking to the CR rep from Corporate. She was a sweet lady like Collin said, so no need to go postal on her or anything. But… perhaps Collin you could have described a little more about WHY a couponer would get so frustrated with the inconsistency in their policy. Just describe all the work that goes into matching up coupons and deals, have expectations when shopping in a particular store, strolling through the aisles trying to find all your stuff, making sure all your coupons are organized and ready to go, putting in ALL the effort that many of us put into this. And then getting to the register and never knowing what kind of problems you are going to have – rejected coupons, having to void purchases, register rewards not printing…people in line behind you huffing and puffing… etc. I live in Illinois where Walgreen’s home office is located. We have a Walgreens on every corner, and I can say that the inconsistency is prevalent even here. I think it’s an embarrassment to Walgreen’s that they can’t get their act together. Maybe I should just pay corporate a visit…. Or get a job their as their Coupon Corporate relations executive – LOL.
I work at Walgreen’s and I was told by my managers that you cannot use a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale. You would need to have 4 of the same items in your cart, essentially 2 BOGO sales, to use a BOGO coupon. I definitely agree that Walgreen’s needs to develop a coupon policy that is used across the chain. It is very frustrating for me as an employee and as a fellow couponer. Not only is the coupon policy up to the store managers discretion, but it also seems to vary among the assistant managers and the cashiers. These inconsistencies need to come to an end!
Here’s another example of the inconsistencies. I have spoken with the store manager at my WAGS and asked about using a BOGO coupon on a BOGO sale. He told me that they can’t do that. He said I would have to get 3 items. I have to buy one, get one free with the store sale, and get another free with the coupon.
After watching your awesome videos, I sent the letter that is written below to Walgreens corporate office. They state on their site that they answer all inquires, so I will let you know when they send a reply…
Have you checked out the website hip2save? The site features a 3 part series
(video on youtube) calling different Walgreen stores asking the same questions about coupon policies. Walgreen store managers/employees all gave different answers…It is what myself and other customers have been complaining about, your employees are not on the same page with coupon usage. I dread going shopping at Walgreens if I have a lot of coupons because my first thought is – how much am I going to get hassled and how rude is the cashier/manager going to be! One manager even accused me of coupon fraud because I was buying a product for .99 and my coupon was for $1.00. The manager wouldn’t let me use the coupon because it was more than the product. I asked if she would change the price of the coupon to .99, that is when she very loudly stated, that I was trying to commit fraud! That and other bad experiences that I have had at Walgreens is why it thrills me that the hip2save website has posted these videos, it truly makes Walgreens look foolish. Shame on Walgreens and their employees for treating there customers like they don’t matter. Listen to the customers and make using coupons at your store easy. Train your employees – most of them seem angry if you’re getting an item for “free” because of the coupons that were used. Check out CVS coupon policies, I am never hassled there and the cashiers usually comment on what a great deal I got and how much I saved. CVS makes it easy and pleasant to shop there. When Walgreens stopped doing the rebate program and started the register reward program is when I believe all the problems began!
It sucks because Walgreens has a ton a great deal..especially lately, but I HATE going there..I get anxiety when I pull into the parking lot. It frustrates me that my neighbor (who got me into couponing and introduced me to this site)..she will tell me about a deal she got (FREE items and Money Makers)..I will go to the suggested links..print out the coupons, go to the store spend time to find the items blah blah and get up there and the cashier will tell me she can not adjust down the coupon. Like bengay was on sale $4.99 and I had a $5 Manufacture coupon and a $1 Walgreen coupon..so I found a cheap “filler” item since I know you can’t have more coupons than products..thinking I’m going to have a money maker bengay..but no..she would not take it ..she would not adjust the coupon down ONE STINKIN PENNY! They are loosing MONEY..coupons are money for them! I LOVE CVS! I NEVER HAVE PROBLEMS THERE! I am very close to never going to walgreens again. It’s just tough because I see the deals and I want to go and “hope” i get a nice cashier…it sucks that it all depends who u get.
I want to add..Collin this is the first time I’ve watched one of your videos..you are beautiful!! I love your facial expressions too!! I was literally Laughing Out Loud!!!! Thanks for taking the time to do this because as a busy working mom I don’t have the time or energy..Thanks for all you do!!! =)
Thank you so much Collin! I loved the videos!
I’m very sorry to admit that pretty much each store has their own individual policy concerning coupons. It even gets as bad as each employee…some want to be an a**hole and act like the value of the coupon being used will come out of their pocket! But then you have your super nice emloyees (like me) that will accept the coupon, because honestly why not.. if it scans the company gets reimbursed for it! The “Instant Value” coupons are Walgreens coupons…thats why there’s a big red “W” on them!!! The in ad coupons are Walgreens coupons.. which means neither count in the item to coupon ratio. And yes you can use a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Manufacturer coupon on a sale item that we have buy 1 get 1 free, because thats your way of payin for the 1 you have to buy in our advertised sale. And yes we do take copons that you print online…as long as they have a value like $1.00 off or vaule cannot exceed $5.00, because there have been counterfeits that say like get xyz item free, but no value. Yes we should have a printable coupon policy so you can shove it in a mean cashier face or a managers face!!!
When I was a new couponer, I was so excited about all the possible Walgreen deals. Well after experiencing the outta stocks, confusing rules and sometimes curt & snarly cashiers, I said lets just frigging forget this. I am just a middle aged lady that wants to play by the rules, get in line quietly with my coupons & cash & check out. It’s like that episode of the “Soup Nazi” on Seindfield, I just want to get through the line.. no trouble. I do not want to have to find a “willing cashier” or “non confrontational manager” just to buy my drugstore items using a coupon. For God’s sake Walgreens get a coupon policy and train your poor employees! I do not think Collin embarrassed any of these employees she talked with. If anything she embarrassed Walgreens upper management .Collin did not ask any questions that have not been asked or will be asked by other customers. I felt sorry for the employees though because you can tell they dreaded having to try to have to answer these coupon questions, because they were never ever given the answers. Shame on management. Walgreens needs to work with various coupon bloggers such as HTS, & discuss with the bloggers the various coupon, RR, etc, scenarios and questions real couponers have. From this dialog then, they need to address online, a Wag coupon policy and then train & test their employees on said policy. I honestly think Walgreens only wants to give the perception that they are coupon friendly, but in reality they are anti-coupon. So now, I just look at their ads for items I can get Walmart to match, because as it stands now, no Walgreens deal is currently worth it to me, to put up with the anxiety, anger and frustration they cause. Walgreens…who needs them, not me. Just a everyday customer & Walgreens tries to make you feel like a gypsy con artist or something.
Something is wrong/broke with this thread or my computer? I am showing 154 comments at the top but can only access about half up to 90 comments only??? Not sure if my post will show or not…anyway wondering IF ANYTHING ever came of the similar email campaign of letters H2S did with Walmart? I am guess NO. Thanks…I don’t have issues with WAGS…for the most part…one of the lucky ones…for me its Target… LOL
LOL…never mind…hahaha…its late, new to reading blogs…I figured it out. 🙂
When I wrote to corporate last month this is the response I got back regarding their corporate coupon “guidelines”. There are the exact same guidelines that the stores have received via email. The guidelines don’t address every issue and are difficult to interpret. They do state they can adjust the coupon value down to match the price of the item.
From: consumerrelations.bb@walgreens.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 11:18 PM
To:
Subject: Ref #2527831
June 09, 2010
Dear Nicole,
Thank you for taking your time to contact our Corporate Offices. We appreciate hearing from our customers and value all comments received.
Unfortunately, we do not have a coupon policy, rather “guidelines” we follow.
*1 Walgreen and 1 manufacturer coupon can be used for the same item, unless either coupon prohibits;
*Walgreens does not provide cash back if a coupon is presented for more than one purchase value of the item
(i.e. 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; *All valid coupons must be presented to the cashier at the time of sale only;
*Managers have the right to limit the quantities of all advertised items (also disclosed on the back of the ad circular);
*Walgreens does not price match with other retailers;
* Walgreens does not accept competitor coupons;
*Walgreens does not accept expired coupons;
*If an item is purchased with a manufacturer 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.
Again, thank you for contacting our corporate office. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your comments.
Sincerely,
Rori Robinson
Consumer Response Representative
Ref # 2527831
Dear Walgreens:
Please watch these videos and inform your employees!!
PS. I <3 Wags
That was great…Had a great conversation with the wags manager reguarding the recent free Dr scholls this past week. He told me I coud not use the June coupon for the massage gel….get this…. because it was not in the picture….ummmmm…ok dummy…. read the fine print….uggh…how do some of them get thier jobs?
*** VERY INTERESTING to say the least! I personally think this video should be sent to corporate so they can see how inconsitant & uneducated all of the stores & corporate are on coupons! This is NO way to run a business! I think we should all unite together & INSIST that Walgreens shapes up & has a CLEAR coupon policy, available online to print of course. They shape up or WE ship out & take our business to a professioanlly run business! I honestly think we should tackle store after store for CLEAR coupon policies for any coupon scenario- ex. b1g1 sale using a b1g1 coupon, etc. THANKS COLLIN!!!!
BRAVO! Wonderful job. I agree with Jaclyn, let’s start a pandemic with Walgreens. They are soooo unprofessional, it’s hard to believe they operate such a high-level business.
Thanks sooooo much for doing this video. You inspired me. I was reading about the CVS sale that starts this weekend for the buy one get one free on the Sobe waters (which is my new addiction) and I have so far been successful in printing out 17 coupons. That would be 34 bottles of free Sobe. So I called my CVS to ask them how they handle the bogo coupons on a product they have on bogo. She said “you still have to pay for one item”. So I asked for someone who knew what they were talking about since she didn’t and they got on the phone and said “yes, you get both items free, as long as you bring your coupons with you”! Now I won’t even comment on that statement!!! STUPID … thanks for your inspiration … can’t wait to see what your next video will be!!!
Good luck getting that many Sobes! Unless you get in there Sunday morning or go to more than 1!
And this is exactly why I no longer shop at Walgreens.
Thank you so much for doing this, Collin- such an inspiration and good information.