Walgreens: Updated Coupon Policy
Walgreens recently updated their Coupon Policy with some new wording and changes. And these honestly aren’t the best changes for us couponers… well, at least in my opinion. Here are the biggest changes to make note of:
Rule #7 – Walgreens will not accept coupons that exceed the selling price of an item and no cash back is ever provided in exchange for any coupons. – So it sounds like they will no longer adjust coupons down that exceed the value of an item OR even accept them.
Rule #9 – For offers when multiple items are purchased and additional items are free (buy 1 get 1 free; buy 2 get 1 free, etc.), the number of coupons applied to that offer cannot exceed the number of items required in the “buy” portion of the offer. – This means that you can no longer use two manufacturer coupons on a buy 1 get 1 FREE sale. 🙁
* Check out the full Coupon Policy here.
What are your thoughts on these changes?
(Thanks for the heads up on these changes, Susan, Saving with Vetta & Coupons Are Awesome!)
Oh no, that is a big bummer for the bogo! That is how we get the best deals. 🙁
What a bummer!
Its sad but without the couponing thing its hard to get a good deal at Walgreen’s so i will just skip shopping there. to me they have always been the hardest place to coupon anyway.
Agreed!
Yes! It is not worth the hassle and CVS employees are nicer. If Walgreens disappeared, I would not miss it!
Yep, my thoughts exactly. Very little reason to shop Walgreens anymore, as it looks like the deals have dried up.
I totally agree with you! I will just shop at CVS!!
I totally agree–too many rules and exceptions to keep up with. I much prefer the ECB’s program at CVS–it’s so much more straightforward. In recent shopping trips, I’ve left Walgreens totally unsure of whether I was actually supposed to have earned points or received RR’s, even more confused by the cashier’s explanation, second-guessing my coupon strategy/plan for the trip. I’ve found if I’m planning a shopping trip there for more than one or two deals, it’s just too confusing to keep up with and monitor whether I’m actually getting the deals I thought I should be getting. These new changes just make me think I’ll be trying to do most of my drug store shopping at CVS. May pop in to Walgreens for a single deal here and there.
Agreed. Makes my life simpler – will stick to my friendly CVS.
Yea I haven’t been in a Walgreen for so long! What I don’t understand is why they have that policy if the manufacture would reimbursed them even if they accept the coupon for the free item
That’s a really good question!
Completely agree. Won’t be couponing there anymore – not a big whoop rite aid is usually better
I feel the same. Walgreens will lose a lot of business this way. 😕
Sadly, I agree. Walgreens corporate are truly ill-minded if they think they will be increasing revenue by implementing these changes. If anything, their revenue will be cut in half from the lack of couponers frequenting their stores. Looks like I will continue to shop more often at Rite Aid and CVS. Much easier to coupon there anyway and employees are always much more friendlier than at Walgreens.
I haven’t been shopping at Walgreens all that much lately, it’s just too much of a hassle when you have the correct items and coupons and they still don’t accept them. My money is better spent elsewhere!
Shelly, I agree with you. Walgreens is my last choice.
I’ll echo everyone else’s sentiments. Walgreens has always been a pain, but less RR and the whole points thing has really driven me away. I might go in once every two months and I used to go every week. Oh well, one less store to go into makes my life a little easier!
Why is Walgreens doing this? Are they losing money? They are manufacturer coupons so they get reimbursed for those and it brings people in the stores. I wish there was another drugstore/competitor to them in my area.
According to different managers I’ve talked they are. Something about getting like 80 of one manufacter coupon but the vender only allows them to submit 20 (<——example)
The mass wipe out the shelves couponers are a huge part of it too…
Walgreens has been slapped with coupon fraud in CA at least. They were turning in coupons that were never even handed out to the public. And, if they mark the coupon down, they are still turning the coupon in for full value to the manufacturer- again coupon fraud.
don’t like the new changes, but luckily I know someone that works there and use their phone # and get 15% off brands and 20% off Wags brand. It helps my wallet.
You could be putting your friend at risk of losing their job if you are using their employee discount.
Yup, totally agree. Companies watch employees closer then they do anyone else. Their systems are very smart in catching dishonest employees.
My husband works at Lowes and they track them down to even the methods in which they pay for purchases. I wouldn’t want anyone risking my job for a discount.
Yeah you should not do that.
I have stopped shopping there since they started their rewards system. I just did not want to spend my time learning about it. Walgreens is right across the street from me, but I walk 6 blocks to shop at CVS.
Agree agree agree! After they started with points and register rewards they lost me as a customer. Too complicated. Thank god for cvs!
These changes are terrible. Couponing has to be extremely profitable hence the expansion in the programs with Target & CVS. I’m afraid if it stands others will follow suit. I would highly encourage you to contact Walgreens crporate. It is no secret that their employees are often not coupon friendly and this is proof that they as a corporation they aren’t either. Hit them where it hurts QUIT couponing there and send an email.
https://www.walgreens.com/mktg/contactus/contact-us-forms.jsp?tier3Id=1075
I did contact them a few weeks ago to let them know that I don’t feel like they are very coupon friendly like Target and Rite Aid. I just got back a very generic response from them and they didn’t really seem to care. I guess if they don’t care then I don’t care. I just won’t shop there very much. Keep up all the Target deals! I love them and I always get treated nicely.
Thank you for the comment about rite aid(: we try to be as friendly as possible!
Love, love, love my Rite Aid! They are the best!
I really like Rite Aid too….such nice employees at the one I shop at.
Rite Aid always has great Up Reward deals. I shop there most of the 3 drug stores. The local Rite Aid manager even knows my mother and I by name. 🙂
My Walgreens has always done #7 anyways. I really do not shop here anymore cause they have become ridiculous and all stores do different things. All I ever do now is the Well Beginnings BOGO on diapers where no coupons are needed and an occasional deal- like the yellow Tide this week.
Hi, would you mind telling me what you thought of the tide? I have a baby, toddler, and my husband works with dirt. I was just wondering if you thought it worked as well as the regular tide?
I actually have not used it yet. It is for baby stuff too, but I still have some All Free $ Clear to get thru.
I have used the yellow tide and I like it.
I don’t shop at Walgreens much for all the reasons cited here, but I stop in for super deals once in a *great* while. Almost always for a deal where the coupon exceeds the price of item (usually by a penny–sigh!) or using two Qs on a bogo deal, both of which situations work just fine most of the time. However, there is one middle-aged lifer who ALWAYS seems to be working at my closest store, and she never accepted coupons that were more than the value of the item or coupons on bogo items. She’d scan them but rather than adjust them down or do whatever register magic other cashiers do, she’d just say the “register won’t take it.” I’d just void the order and, if possible, go back when she wasn’t there. Annoying, but I’m sure she was annoyed by me, too, since I am a blatant cherry picker there for all the reasons outlined here. I can live with whatever changes Walgreens throws at me–by living without them. There are really no deals there that I can’t get elsewhere.
Well, they’re in business to make money. Sure, I like getting a better deal, but some of their deals will still be good, just not super-good 🙂
I think the days of super couponing are coming to an end. I remember when manufacturers starting making coupons 70 cents to prevent double couponing when most stores doubled up to 65 cents. Now there are very few places that double coupon at all. I have discovered that I am buying MANY more store brand items that I ever have just because of the cost difference with and without coupons. Please don’t let Colgate, Campbells, and Kelloggs quit offering great coupons!!!
You know that Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods double up to $0.99 regularly. There’s also super doubles that occur a few times per year that double any coupons valued at $2 or lower. 🙂
I guess I will only do my shopping in CVS, which is across the street from Walgreens what kind on marketing study did they do for these changes?!?!
This decision likely wasn’t based on a marketing study but as a preventative for the coupon fraud charges and reimbursement issues they are dealing with.
Wow! I wasn’t aware that they were facing coupon fraud charges! Yikes!
I agree that the changes since the rewards system has begun has changed my enthusiasm for shopping at Walgreen’s. I also am seeing a tremendous increase in their “Nice”n brand items vs. manufacturer items being sold at the store in my area..
if I hate walgreens before, imagine how I feel about them now. I still dont know why people go to that store they are so rude and most coupon unfriendly…. I LOVE LOVE LOVE CVS
Ditto. However at my CVS whenever I have an issue with a qpon that the register didn’t like the manager (two different days) said “I hate qpons! I wish they would get rid of them foreve!” Etc etc. I wanted to lunch him in the face for saying something stupid like that! Geez!
Their loss, really, not ours. They will start finding that people won’t shop there, but instead will keep going to CVS and RiteAid. I hope they go under as they have terrible customer service.
I never bought into the points program & always hated couponing at Walgreens. The “filler” concept ate into such a high % of a low value RR, it was never worth it for me. These changes only confirm it is a pain to coupon at Walgreens. No loss for me, though, since I gave up on them over a year ago.
Disappointed as well. My local Wags stores have never adj coupons down, but price modified the item (if it’s $0.99 and I have a $1 coupon, they would change the price to $1) Haven’t taken 2 coupons on a BOGO sale since the register update. The register would always beep. But if it was like $1/2, the register would accept it. Nuts!
My personal opinion is that it is a rash decision made by a flustered corporate staff that thinks this is a better solution than training their staff and creating a more user friendly “system”. It will be interesting to see how these changes work out for them and hopefully it is not a trend that others will follow.
not good. i stopped going there a while ago. not coupon friendly where i live. now even worse 🙁
🙁
I have never shopped at walgreens more difficult to shop with cupons there !! Love cvs, I have stop cuponing for 2 months, I have tissue paper and towels to last me 2 years and shampoo too. But, if I see a good cupon, I will use it to get things for my mother thanks eceryone
It’s unfortunate that this is happening, but I guess I can see the reasoning behind the changes. I don’t like it, but I can see why they’re doing it. It’s always seemed weird to me (even though I have no problem taking advantage of it!) to use a coupon on a free item. However, I must say that I’m not a huge fan of shopping at Walgreens. I only go there for the items that are free or practically free with rewards. They just never seem to have the best deals. CVS always seems better. I’ve never had too many problems with coupons at my local stores, but that might be because I don’t shop there very often. This change in coupon policy won’t get me in there more often, though, that’s for sure.
Honestly the reason stores take the coupons on the free item is that they make money doing it that way. They are giving it to you for free however if you use the coupon they get to claim some money back from the manufacturer. So in reality they make back money on what they were giving you free anyway. that is why a lot of stores allow it.
Agreed, Rona. That’s why I don’t understand Wags creating this BOGO rule. Just another example of how non customer focused they have become.
“It’s always seemed weird to me (even though I have no problem taking advantage of it!) to use a coupon on a free item.”
If I’m required to buy one item in order to get another free, I don’t feel that I am actually getting a free item. The way I look at it is that I am getting two items at half-price. The BOGO is just a gimmick to keep you from buying only one at half-price. If you look at it that way, accepting two coupons for the two items makes sense.
I agree they are in the business to make money and if I cant get good deals at walgreens id just shop elsewhere.
Thats what a business is. Making money, hopefully doing something you love
I have written walgreens off already anyway. They are always rude and not coupon friendly. That’s the worse decision on their part. Let’s see sales decline in the coming months. Cvs and Target all the way. Who needs walgreens anyway?:)
I live in a rural area, so have to travel a distance to go to any of the drugstores. There are several Walgreens I travel to in different directions depending on where I am going. I have to say they all have always been Extremely good about my couponing. Guess I am grateful for their employees. I will say they are not the speediest but they never give a hard time about my coupons.
We moved a few years ago. Our initial Walgreens was always poorly stocked and not friendly (much less coupon friendly). We would get rain checks for items that never seemed to be restocked. The Walgreens we live near now is always incredibly friendly, usually well stocked and we are able to redeem any rain checks fairly quickly.
We have 5 (yes, 5!) CVS stores within 4 miles of our home and sometimes have to drive to 2/3 to find items. They are relatively coupon friendly but it can be difficult to get more than 2/3s of the items on my list.
I never go to Rite-Aid. They are usually out of stock, messy, rude and their sales are on a weird schedule I can never remember, I think it is Thursday to Thursday. Yuck!
I was given a bunch of grief a few weeks back for using two coupons on a BOGO deal. Living in the land of Publix, I guess I am spoiled or maybe the employee knew about the change and I didn’t. Once I told her that it was fine and to please go ahead and remove the items since if she was only going to take 1 coupon, it would be cheaper at Publix, she just put it through. Walgreens for me is no longer a deal since my store started carrying milk that is some unheard of brand and cigarettes are cheaper at Publix now too (I have a smoker 🙁 in my household) .
Unfortunately, Walgreens is one of the only places around where I live. The closest target is 45 minutes away, CVS- an hour, no Rite Aids… therefore, this is bad news for me! 🙁
I am okay with this new rule. I like the way Harris Teeter has their bogo sales. Items ring up half price..so you can always use 2 coupons. I shopped at Wags with coupons some, but not a lot. Target has great deals.. but to understand how their coupons come off at end of your receipt is the most confusing of all. You have your manuf. coupons, target coupons, Cartwheels, text offers( sometimes multiple scans there)..whewww… couponing in general is changing a lot.. the deals are getting slimmer out there. I appreciate any and all the freebies and deals I get though posted here or otherwise.
So funny you mention indecipherable Target receipts. I was there yesterday and got a seriously super deal on Zarbees and some other stuff using price match, coupons, and Cartwheel. My receipt did not reflect all my coupon deductions BUT the final total was correct. I have no idea how that could even be possible. . . .
I get those missing MQs when I buy something that has like items grouped together rather than line item under a special coupon heading. The computer doesnt seem to know where to put the MQ on the receipt so it just leaves it out! I’d say its a software bug that they haven’t bothered to deal with since the total is correct.
I gave up on Walgreen’s a long time ago because it is always hard to use coupons there (having to buy fillers, etc), but it is disappointing that they are making it even more difficult to coupon there.
Darn. I just moved two blocks from a Wags in a very busy urban area. Looks like I will have to rework my deals in order to shop there, or I may just go to the CVS a mile down the road. Bummer.
NEVER LIKED THEM ANYWAYS, lol. CVS is more my store for coupon shopping but when I need my meds it is mostly walgreens lol
I think that the changes come from a combination of things (competition, extreme couponing, profit margins, the economy, right down to the age/income demographics of store patrons) but I can’t help but wonder if they are trying to lure customers in who DON’T use coupons regularly…so that the lines are shorter at the register, with less waiting time, and more “sale” products on the shelf. While some stores are VERY coupon friendly…there could be a niche for stores that cater to those patrons who don’t mind paying retail and I think Walgreen’s is trying to fill it.
That is a good point. maybe that is what they are trying to do.
Good point!
More business for CVS! For awhile I would go to Walgreens just because the couponing policies were good, although the customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Now I see no reason to go to Walgreens, as many have said. CVS already has my business due to how they provide customer service and pharmacy rewards. No loss for me, loss for Walgreens. As a consumer we have choices and Walgreens’ poor decision just cost them a lot of customers.
I am not surprised by the changes frankly. I used to shop at Walgreens on a weekly basis and as of lately have stopped all together due to the difficulty of using coupons which oftentime included trying to use coupons in the manners listed above. At my store, the cashiers and managers are not educated on their policy and almost every time I went in I had to explain the policy when a coupon beeped. At that point, I usually received the argument that they could not accept it and it turned into a five to ten minute ordeal of explanation. Milk and egg prices increased (which was mainly why I went there) so I do not have incentive to go anymore. I’ll stick with Target 🙂
I stopped shopping at WAGS a long time ago. I’d go once in a blue moon. I much prefer CVS. My new favorite store lately has been Harris Teeter. Their customer service is exceptional and they always double coupons up to 99 cents. They occasionally have super double coupons where they double coupons up to $2!! They’re actually having one starting June 6th!! LoooOveeee Harris Teeter 🙂
all,good things must come to an end
I actually like the rewards system. I get 500 points for every prescription and I only go in when I have coupons. So I hit that 40,000 points pretty regularly and have $50 to spend on whatever I need.
Well, this is still better than my recent trip to Target where the cashier would only allow me to use one coupon at a time. So if I bought 2 items and had 2 coupons, she said I could only use one!
Ugh! You should have carried a copy of coupon policy and spoken to management and/or corporate.
As if they needed to make it anymore difficult to coupon there. Honestly, I don’t think they always have the best deals. I hope the other drug stores do not follow suit. Lately cvs seems the way to go even through I am extremely stocked up on items. Its reasons like the coupon policy changes that make me want to stock pile even more because good deals seem harder to come by on certain items.
Disappointed would be the best word for me. When the rewards system changed, I wasn’t a fan, but I went along with it. I noticed a drop in deals and my shopping list to Walgreens grew smaller and smaller. We’ll just have to see now after this. Unfortunately, Walgreens is the only drugstore in my area, but I may just be shopping at other stores. Thank goodness I still have a Target. Walgreens, this may be the end for us.
Wow! They are such a tough store to shop at with coupons anyway! Won’t adjust the coupon? Makes no sense.
It does make sense. Adjusting a coupon is coupon fraud.
I’m bummed, I live in a small community and Walgreen’s is my only drugstore option. I understand the no coupon on a free item as many stores have gone to that. But why can’t they adjust a coupon down? Just laziness if you ask me. I feel like they’ve basically put out a banner, DO NOT COUPON HERE, WE DON’T WANT YOU SHOPPING HERE. Well mission accomplished.
Since they also have dropped their double dips, will not be shopping there frequently. Hopefully these new policies hurt them. For now, I will coupon at target since we don’t have any other drugstores in town.
In the last year, I have just about shut them out. Each week I keep hoping they will have a great deal, but for what I purchase, they haven’t. Sorry Walgreens, this new policy didn’t help.
I agree with the many. Walgreens is too confusing with RR, Points, rebates (do they even do those anymore?) monthly coupon booklet, weekly ad coupons… I only go into Walgreens when they have free photo codes. Then if milk or eggs happen to be on sale, I’ll snag some.
CVS is my favorite as well.
We need a like button for comments:-)
I haven’t couponed at wags in three years. Im actually not missing it. Now i have no reason to try again.
This is fair. You’re not paying for a 2nd item on a bogo
Kelly- I totally agree with you. I always find it shocking when stores will take a coupon on free item. The worse part is them not taking a coupon for item less than what’s on coupon and not adjusting it down. That might not happen often, but still.
Since the store is promoting a BOGO or whatever, THEY are footing the cost of the free item. Manuf coupons are PAYMENT. So taking the coupon on the free item, they are now getting reimbursed + handling free. What is the difference between say, the item being on sale 2/$4 and using 2 coupons or BOGO/$3.99 and using 2 coupons?
Sure, the customer is not paying for the “free” item, but neither is the manufacturer. The store takes the loss on the “free” item and the manufacturer takes the loss (or reduced profit) from the coupon they offered. I could see not combining a BOGO Wags offer with a BOGO manufacturer coupon, but to limit $ off coupons on the free item is not right.
Yea why not? If an item is $3 and I get the second for free & I have two $1.5 manufacturer coups, they either would get $3 back from the manufacturer or $1.5 from manufacturer and $1.5 from me… Either way they’re getting their $3 back. So why take the $ from the consumer?
Such a misconception
The always figure for something to make money like seriously??
Seems fair. Too many coupon users are too greedy.
Toni, I thinks that’s a gross over generalization:(. Nothing to do with greed, coupon is a form of re numeration, why would a retailer reject a legitimate form of currency? What they are not saying is they want our money but they don’t want to have to work to hard to get it (dealing with coupons). That is frustrating nothing to do with greed.
If you have concerns or complaints anyone here’s the email address.
https://www.walgreens.com/mktg/contactus/contact-us-forms.jsp?tier3Id=1075
Adjusting a coupon down makes couponers “greedy”?