I think it's time to explain just how I get things for free. I will start with CVS.
CVS is the second largest national drug store chain in the US. It operates almost 7000 stores in 45 states and they have great rewards program for their costumers. CVS has an Extra Care Card (you have to apply for it, it's free and you will get it at the store right away) which gives out "Extra Care Bucks" or ECBs for some items you buy.
Let's say they are running a deal on product X which costs $2.00. If you buy 1 product X for $2 they will give you $2 ECB. That will make that item free for you, but to sweeten the deal if you have a manufacturer coupon for product X for $1 you can use that as well, in that case you will earn $1 to take product X out of CVS.
This is what your transaction will look like:
Product X = $2.00
- Manufacturer Coupon $1.00
You pay: $1.00
- ECB $2.00
$1 Money Maker
The best deals at CVS are those ECB deals. ECB deals have a limit which you can find in the store ad. That limit is per card, not per day or per week.
Your goal is always to spend the least amount out of pocket, so use those coupons! When you get ECBs use them on the next ECB deal (that is what I do) and they will keep bringing your out of pocket totals down more and more each time. You can use as many ECBs as you have in any single transaction. Make note that if you use $5 ECBs on a purchase of $4.25 you are forfeiting .75 cents. When checking out make sure to always give your coupons first, then your ECBs.
Also, CVS stores have "coupon machines". Every time you come into the store you should head over to the "coupon machine" and scan you CVS card. If there are any coupons the machine will print them out for you, but keep scanning your card until the machine says that there are no more coupons available for your card. Those coupons can and should be combined with manufacturer coupons.
CVS issues rain checks for items they are out of. That goes for those ECB deals.
CVS does not have a coupon policy on their web site as they reserve the right to change it as they see fit, but this is what The Krazy Coupon Lady got from them after she sent them an email:
Our registers are set to allow 1 CVS coupon and 1 manufacturer coupon per item. Free coupons or “offers at the register” (OAR’s) are unearned and issued to you as a valued member of the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare program. These coupons take the form of “open ended” coupons such as $3 off $15 or a certain dollar amount off a specific item. In any given transaction our registers will allow only one “open ended” coupon per transaction. CVS Extra Buck coupons are earned when you make a qualifying purchase. These print out instantly at the register upon reaching the threshold for the offer. You can use more than one Extra Buck coupon provided the purchase threshold has been met for each offer amount on a per-transaction basis.
CVS is the second largest national drug store chain in the US. It operates almost 7000 stores in 45 states and they have great rewards program for their costumers. CVS has an Extra Care Card (you have to apply for it, it's free and you will get it at the store right away) which gives out "Extra Care Bucks" or ECBs for some items you buy.
Let's say they are running a deal on product X which costs $2.00. If you buy 1 product X for $2 they will give you $2 ECB. That will make that item free for you, but to sweeten the deal if you have a manufacturer coupon for product X for $1 you can use that as well, in that case you will earn $1 to take product X out of CVS.
This is what your transaction will look like:
Product X = $2.00
- Manufacturer Coupon $1.00
You pay: $1.00
- ECB $2.00
$1 Money Maker
The best deals at CVS are those ECB deals. ECB deals have a limit which you can find in the store ad. That limit is per card, not per day or per week.
Your goal is always to spend the least amount out of pocket, so use those coupons! When you get ECBs use them on the next ECB deal (that is what I do) and they will keep bringing your out of pocket totals down more and more each time. You can use as many ECBs as you have in any single transaction. Make note that if you use $5 ECBs on a purchase of $4.25 you are forfeiting .75 cents. When checking out make sure to always give your coupons first, then your ECBs.
Also, CVS stores have "coupon machines". Every time you come into the store you should head over to the "coupon machine" and scan you CVS card. If there are any coupons the machine will print them out for you, but keep scanning your card until the machine says that there are no more coupons available for your card. Those coupons can and should be combined with manufacturer coupons.
CVS issues rain checks for items they are out of. That goes for those ECB deals.
CVS does not have a coupon policy on their web site as they reserve the right to change it as they see fit, but this is what The Krazy Coupon Lady got from them after she sent them an email:
Our registers are set to allow 1 CVS coupon and 1 manufacturer coupon per item. Free coupons or “offers at the register” (OAR’s) are unearned and issued to you as a valued member of the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare program. These coupons take the form of “open ended” coupons such as $3 off $15 or a certain dollar amount off a specific item. In any given transaction our registers will allow only one “open ended” coupon per transaction. CVS Extra Buck coupons are earned when you make a qualifying purchase. These print out instantly at the register upon reaching the threshold for the offer. You can use more than one Extra Buck coupon provided the purchase threshold has been met for each offer amount on a per-transaction basis.
In the case where a particular item is on sale for “buy one get one free” (BOGO), you are only allowed to use one manufacturer’s BOGO coupon. For instance, if Revlon lipstick is on sale for BOGO, you can use one manufacturer’s BOGO coupon. You would get both items free and pay any applicable tax. We reserve the right to limit quantities on all items. If our store is running a sale for BOGO, you can use two manufacturer’s 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.
CVS/pharmacy does accept manufacturers’ coupons that have been obtained from manufacturer sponsored and/or authorized Web sites. The coupon should be complete and contain a bar code that can be scanned at the register. If the coupon does not scan, the cashier should politely inform you that we cannot accept your coupon. We do not allow manual overrides at the register for coupons printed from the Internet. CVS/pharmacy will not accept offers printed from unauthorized Internet postings or reproductions, copies, or facsimiles.
We do not accept competitors’ coupons for front store items nor do we match competitors’ sale prices. We feel that our sales and ExtraCare program are comparable if not better than any sales or coupons offered by our competitors. We also do not accept any expired coupons, CVS or otherwise. We do not “double” or “triple” coupons. All coupons must match the product being purchased. We will not accept a coupon for a ‘like’ item. If the item is not listed or pictured on the coupon, we cannot accept it.
So, buy those Sunday Newspapers and start clipping away!
Happy Shopping Everyone!!!
