My Financial Recovery

Tried Out Walgreens Shopping

Posted on: October 22, 2008 by Matt No Comments

Walgreens

Originally uploaded by fxdirect

I have been reading a lot lately about the number of people that use pharmacy shopping to get some really good deals including a number of free after rebate (FAR) items.  My girlfriend loves shopping at Walgreens due to the selection of interesting and fun cosmetic products and the politeness of the people that work there (at the Walgreen we visit everyone is really polite and friendly).  We also find that the store is generally cleaner and easier to navigate than other pharmacy stores in the area.  The only problem I have been able to identify so far is that the nearest Walgreens for us is about 15 or 20 miles away in New Hampshire; we generally stop in when we are headed in that direction.

Normally our little shopping trips to Walgreens involve getting a handful of items that are needed around the house and browsing.  However our last trip may have changed the way that we shop at Walgreens a bit and may have also addicted us to the monthly sale and rebate items.

Our trip started out normally, I followed my girlfriend around so we could talk and joke while looking at all the cosmetics.  I then decided to go up and grab a weekly sale flyer and the monthly rebate booklet.  I proceeded to go compare prices on batteries that we needed and peruse the ads.  When I caught back up with my girlfriend and asked her “How would you like to get some free foundation?” she looked back at me with curiosity.  I opened the rebate booklet and reviewed the details of the FAR items and informed her that I had read online that we could actually make a little money on these items by getting the rebate on a gift card.

She was sold and pretty darn excited about the prospect of having a Walgreens gift card and some free (actually paid to get) some of the stuff on a monthly basis!  We spent a good portion of the car ride home discussing how the program works and deciding that the gift card would be hers to spend on a monthly basis while I would keep up on the monthly ads and rebates and file for the rebates.

While my little shopping trip may seem like old news to a number of readers I am excited and view the trip as a success for several reasons:

• My girlfriend has questioned rebate items in the past: On a previous trip to Walgreens I noted some body wash that was free after rebate.  When I pointed it out she commented “Who really sends those in anyway.”  I replied that I did and she shrugged and commented on how it seems like a waste of time and the company always finds something wrong with the rebate anyway.  After this trip and explaining how we can process them online I think that she has changed her tune.
• A number of the free after rebate products she will use: Not only are we making a small profit by purchasing some of the FAR items but they can also replace otherwise costly alternative brands.
• The gift cards will offset some cost of future trips: Like I said, she loves shopping at Walgreens.  An free extra $20 per month will help us out financially.
• She is now excited about checking out rebate items: With her looking forward to the next month’s worth for FAR items from Walgreens (along with normal rebate items) I am hopeful that she will start to look at rebates for other items while shopping as well.  I also think that knowing I will take the time to submit the rebates will encourage her to keep rebates as a viable saving method in mind.

Finally – the best part is that since our nearest Walgreens is in New Hampshire we do not have any sales tax on the purchases.