never tried cvs before if i try what should i know

[savingsmom]

well i was thinking of trying cvs and i have never been to the store before IN MY LIFE before or after Qing

so i just wanted to see if the more expireanced people out there could give me thier take on things

and what are the store rules regarding Q and other things (i do wags some but mostly meijer)

so enlighten me - what should i know

[Callie40]

First thing is to get an ExtraCare card. . .You should be able to sign up at the register. You earn Extrabucks when you purchase certain items, which can then be used for (almost) anything in the store. Unlike Wags, I've found that these ECBs print out with no problems, no matter what coupons I've used on the items. Resulting in some awesome freebies! People often post their coupon matchup scenarios on this forum, and you can google "CVS deals" and find other sites that do the same. At first I just copied other peoples strategies until I got the hang of it.

It's just a matter of combining the ExtraBuck deals with manufacturer coupons. Some here will do several transactions at once for a smaller amount out of pocket in a trip, but I do mine all at once and just use my Extrabucks the next week. . .so it keeps rolling over into the next weeks deals. . .

For instance, last week you could get the new Vaseline Sheer for I think $6.99 at CVS, but they immediately spit out $7.00 ExtraBucks on the end of your receipt (limit 1). You could have used a $1.50 Vaseline lotion coupon from the paper in the transaction, and the Extrabucks still would have spit out, making it a $1.51 money maker. I would save that $7.00 coupon for the next week, since I'm there every week anyway and my budget can handle it. Others would immediately tear it off and use it in another transaction right there, so they walk out of the store having spent less actual cash. Maybe you've done that with Register Rewards at Wags? Although they are a bigger pain about it.

Also, register your account online and sign up for their newsletter and get emailed coupons, like "$5 off when you buy $25 worth of merchandise". Those can be combined with regular Extrabucks for xtra savings.

Because CVS is so much easier than anywhere else I shop, I'm not up on any tricky rulse, maybe someone else will chime in on that. . .Don't know about policy on internet coupons b/c I rarely use. . .

Have fun!

[Lightness1]

I'm not an expert but I may be able to help a little.

You need a CVS Extra Care Card. I ordered mine online. It only took a few days to receive it in the mail.

When you sign up online you will also receive coupons via email. Most of the time the coupon is for save $5 on $25. When you use this CVS emailed coupon present it to the cashier first, then your manufacturer coupons.

Also scan the ads, and couponmom, for items each week that generate ECB's (extra care bucks). These are MUCH easier to use than Walgreens RR's. ECB's are like cash. You can combine several ECB's (they are coupons that print on the bottom of your receipts) on a purchase. ECB's will not cover your tax.

Also when you enter CVS look for the RED price checker. Scan your card. You will most likely receive coupons.

For example I had a $10.00 ECB left over from a purchase I did last week.

I went into CVS yesterday to do the Tide deal. I scanned my card at the price checker and received a $4.50 coupon.

I picked up 4 Tide detergents & 1 Dawn dishsoap. There was a deal that if you bought $25.00 in P&G products you would receive $10.00 in ECB's back. So this is how it looked:

4 Tide detergents - $6.00/ea. 4 $1 Tide Q's.

1 Dawn detergent - $1.00 1 $.25 Dawn Q.

The total before Q's was $25.00.

I had received a $5/25 Q in my email. I gave this to the cashier first. The total was brought down to $20.00.

Then I gave the cashier my Q's and it brought it down to $15.75.

Then I gave the cashier my $4.50 Q from the price checker - down to $11.25.

Then I gave the cashier my $10 ECB from last week.

Down to $1.25 + tax.

Received $10.00 in ECB's back!

Good luck!

[AlInAz]

If your CVS has a Coupon Center/Price Scanner in the store, scan your card every time you go in until the scanner tells you "Sorry, no more coupons today. Check back tomorrow." You can get coupons for CVS products or brand name products. I tend to get the same Qs over and over, but some people get $3 off $15 the total or $5/$25. I used to get the $10/$50 when I first started, but split my transactions most of the time now, so don't often do the bigger totals.

I find CVS has way fewer rules than WAGS. One time I used 14 identical Qs in one transaction! I asked the cashier if I could first and she said, "Let's give it a try."

Let us know how it goes and how we can help.
Allison

[Live4Coupons]

You should also save your expired CVS coupons and ECBs, as some stores will take them even after they have expired. I shop at several different CVS stores in my area, and only have had a few instances when they would not take an expired CVS coupon. Next time you go to your CVS store, just ask if they take expired CVS coupons. Having that knowledge will help you plan future shopping trips and help clue you in on what expired CVS Qs to keep. I generally hang onto the ones that are for products I use or products I want to try.

Sometimes if you know CVS coupon spitter outer machine is giving good Qs in a particular week, you can stop by each day and scan. For instance, this past week the "standard" Q that's been spitting out every day is for $2 off any 2 Gold Emblem nut products. (Gold Emblem is the CVS store brand). May seem like a ho-hum coupon, until you realize that they have lots of different varieties of nuts in snack-size packs for 99 cents. Now you're talking about free nuts! This is how I get free cashews. Normally I would never buy myself cashews because they are expensive, but this way you can get two 1.5-oz pkgs for free!

Good luck!

[cavelady]

I sent you a PM with additional info about seeing the ads weeks in advance.

[krisfidler06]

could you pm me how to see the ads in advance too please?

[Suzanne]

Read CM downloads about drugstore deals. Keep reading the posts here in the forum; other users find great deals. Continue to check CM CVS deals where they combine Q's with the sales. Once you're in the mindset of spending and receiving the ECB's you'll be hooked. Good luck!

[almadee]

I'm soooo jealous of all of you who have that scanner machine, i don't

[couponmomma5]

a key thing to remember about CVS (I didn't see anybody else post this) is that when they are running a "spend $x on X products, get $x back in ecb's" type of deal - which is every week - that the spending requirement to get the ecb's is based on their sale price before q's and ecb's spent. And if you have a $5/$25 or similar q, give that one to the cashier before you give mfr/store q's or ecb's. For example:

spend $20 on specific dove products, get $10 back in ecb's (this is running this week)

dove conditioner is 4.99 (there are bottles with 33% more btw). buy 5 of them to get up to/over the $20 requirement

4.99 x 5 = 24.95
- $5/$25 cvs q
= 19.95
- 1.50 off 1 dove hair conditioner (this week's inserts) x 5
= 12.45 for 5 conditioners

at this point, if you have extra care bucks you use them to bring down your oop. I would use $10 ecb's, because that's what I'm getting back.

12.45 total after q's
-10.00 ecb's
= 2.45 for 5 conditioners

CVS accepts IP q's and competitor store q's (coupon must be for an item they carry and from a store that has a pharmacy)