Can someone help me before midnight?

[firefly]

I'm a newbie, and I'm trying my best to understand this CVS ECB program. I'm confused and I'm hoping someone can clear it up for me.

FaithA1969 posted her "plan for Thursday", in part she said this,

Tran#1 Price ECB RC'D Qs
Colgate Total Advanced 2.99 2.99 $1 Off
Colgate Total Advanced 2.99 2.99 $1 Off
Aussie Shampoo 13.5 oz 2.99 2.99 $1 Off
Aussie Conditioner 13.5 oz 2.99 2.99 $1 Off
Johnson & Johnson 5.99 5.99 $1 Off
Gatorade G2 20 oz 1.49 1.49 $15 ECB
Hershey's Chocolate Bar 1.00 1.00
20.44 20.44 $20 Qs
.44 OOP, Get Back 20.44 ECB

Here's what is confusing me (I've never shopped at CVS before), how does she spend only $.44 in out of pocket expense? Is that what her post means, that she intends to only give the cashier $.44? How is that possible? I understand that items are "FREE" upon ECB's, but, aren't you still paying "out of pocket" for that item? I'm going to be up at midnight for Best Buy's online deals, so if I can get a grasp of the CVS deals, I'd love to make a midnight run. Thank you! I truly appreciate any help someone can give me!

[bethanyam]

With CVS ECB's your first visit will always cost a little bit, then you "roll" your ECB's over with every visit. If you notice she uses $15.00 ECB's that she has from a previous transaction. If you were to do this and had the same Q's You would pay $15.44 because you don't have any ECB's, but you would get back the $20.44 ECB's to spend on your next transaction. I hope this helps.

[OI138KACY]

I am new at CVS too, but I believe she is paying the full amount up front, but considering they are going to turn around and hand her a huge amount of ecb's, its like only spending that much. I am going to try to get some things to roll over the ecbs and make different transactions. That's what it seems alot of cvsers do and so maybe there is some upfront cost, but if you turn around and got 20.44 worth of stuff and paid with the ecb's then it makes the first free (or pocket change) sorry if what im saying doesnt make sense. I look at it like getting twice as much for only one oop I guess
Probably didn't help you much....sorry good luck though

[firefly]

With CVS ECB's your first visit will always cost a little bit, then you "roll" your ECB's over with every visit. If you notice she uses $15.00 ECB's that she has from a previous transaction. If you were to do this and had the same Q's You would pay $15.44 because you don't have any ECB's, but you would get back the $20.44 ECB's to spend on your next transaction. I hope this helps.

Thank you, that helps my understanding. But, then how does this occur?


Tran#2 Price ECB RC'D Qs
Bic Soleil System Razor 5.99 5.99 $3.00 Off
Bic Soleil Refill Pac 5.99 5.99 $3.00 Off
Garnier Nutriste Towlettes 5.99 5.99 $1.00 Off
Maybelline Mineral Makeup 8.99 8.99 $20.44 ECB
Gatorade G2 20 oz 1.49 1.49
Totals 28.45 28.45 27.44
1.01 OOP, Get Back 28.45 ECB

I show that the total OOP would be $15.47 before ECB, so why would she spend 1.01 OOP and not use all ECB? I'm trying to get my math to add up to this so I can understand....thanks so much for your help and patience!

[inatenn]

Ok, shopping at CVS is like investing.... On your first transaction you will INVEST some money.

Like this week. I took hubby and he bought Crest Pro Health $3.49 OOP and he got $3.49 right back as an ECB. He just kept using his ECB to buy 1 more, doing this, until there were no more toothpaste on the shelf. At the end he still had a $3.49 ECB. I took that and bought the make-up. $8.99 minus the $3.49 ECB making OOP $5.50 plus tax, if you had the $3.00 of Q, it would be $2.50 plus tax
Got a $8.99 ECB back

so in reality, that night we were OOP $8.99 plus tax
but left with $8.99 ECB

We also left with
8 Crest ProHealth
7 Mineral Make-up with the brushes

So our investment paid off and we still have $8.99 to invest again, because we will keep rolling it over. You try to figure how to spend it to get the same amount or more back.
Once you get the hang and investment, your stuff will be free, or you will pay less than a $1 and if you have Q's to go with the free stuff, they become "money makers" Yeah!

The way I see it, you leave the store with the Free stuff and more ECB's with as litte OOP as possible!

Hope this helps, and good luck!
Look at the Black Friday ads and make you a plan. Buy, turn around and use ECB, buy turn around and use ECB's, and so on! Don't forget your Q's!!

[SoCalMom]

Originally Posted by firefly

I'm a newbie, and I'm trying my best to understand this CVS ECB program. I'm confused and I'm hoping someone can clear it up for me.

FaithA1969 posted her "plan for Thursday", in part she said this,

Tran#1 Price ECB RC'D Qs
Colgate Total Advanced 2.99 2.99 $1 Off
Colgate Total Advanced 2.99 2.99 $1 Off
Aussie Shampoo 13.5 oz 2.99 2.99 $1 Off
Aussie Conditioner 13.5 oz 2.99 2.99 $1 Off
Johnson & Johnson 5.99 5.99 $1 Off
Gatorade G2 20 oz 1.49 1.49 $15 ECB
Hershey's Chocolate Bar 1.00 1.00
20.44 20.44 $20 Qs
.44 OOP, Get Back 20.44 ECB

Here's what is confusing me (I've never shopped at CVS before), how does she spend only $.44 in out of pocket expense? Is that what her post means, that she intends to only give the cashier $.44? How is that possible? I understand that items are "FREE" upon ECB's, but, aren't you still paying "out of pocket" for that item? I'm going to be up at midnight for Best Buy's online deals, so if I can get a grasp of the CVS deals, I'd love to make a midnight run. Thank you! I truly appreciate any help someone can give me!

this is where EB's rcv'd on previous purchases, from the spitter-outter and on e-mails come in handy. If you have ANY of those, use 'em. If your CVS is close and they have a spitter outter - quickly go and scan your card a couple times.

If you have none of those, don't fret. In your 1st transaction, buy all the items that have a limit of 2. do a 2nd transaction with the same 2 limit items. do a 3rd with the 1 limit items. Or half the 1 limit items.. whatever. This will help you get the least true OOP as possible.

[bethanyam]

Originally Posted by firefly

Thank you, that helps my understanding. But, then how does this occur?


Tran#2 Price ECB RC'D Qs
Bic Soleil System Razor 5.99 5.99 $3.00 Off
Bic Soleil Refill Pac 5.99 5.99 $3.00 Off
Garnier Nutriste Towlettes 5.99 5.99 $1.00 Off
Maybelline Mineral Makeup 8.99 8.99 $20.44 ECB
Gatorade G2 20 oz 1.49 1.49
Totals 28.45 28.45 27.44
1.01 OOP, Get Back 28.45 ECB

I show that the total OOP would be $15.47 before ECB, so why would she spend 1.01 OOP and not use all ECB? I'm trying to get my math to add up to this so I can understand....thanks so much for your help and patience!

Ok if you add up all the items she buys
5.99
5.99
5.99
8.99
1.49
equals $28.45
Minus the Q's
3.00
3.00
1.00
That leaves 21.45 minus the ECB $20.44 that leaves her to owe $1.01 plus tax. I hope this helps. It takes time to learn, I've just about got it figured out, I just am a little skittish about making multiple transactions at a time. I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and just do it though

[Child0fGod]

Originally Posted by firefly

Here's what is confusing me (I've never shopped at CVS before), how does she spend only $.44 in out of pocket expense? Is that what her post means, that she intends to only give the cashier $.44? How is that possible? I understand that items are "FREE" upon ECB's, but, aren't you still paying "out of pocket" for that item? I'm going to be up at midnight for Best Buy's online deals, so if I can get a grasp of the CVS deals, I'd love to make a midnight run. Thank you! I truly appreciate any help someone can give me!

i realized this same thing too like a few days ago. i sat for a while trying to figure it all out... i felt like i was in a math class taking notes or something. YES, you do have to pay out of pocket for something upfront, especially if you're just getting started and you don't have any accumulated ecb's... that's why i find it kinda of irritating when i see a lot of posts saying how stuff is literally FREE (esp. if you're just starting out/you're a newbie and you have ZERO ecb's and ZERO coupons... makes it so difficult to understand... uggghhh). i just like to look at it like this:

two items for the price of one (buy one get one free)
or
"i paid xx amount of money, but was able to get xx amount of groceries," kinda like you got a big bang for your buck, if you will (awesome savings).

my stuff isn't "free" for my first transaction. i still had to swipe my credit card!! and so did the majority of other folks (0 Q's, 0 ecb's)! most people like to think of it as free, but you're really paying something a lot of the time-- let's scratch the "free theory!" haha.

[Child0fGod]

Originally Posted by bethanyam

I just am a little skittish about making multiple transactions at a time. I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and just do it though

just say to the cashier, "i've got two separate transactions." that's what i do. they normally figure you're just buying it for someone else and that you want to keep it separate from your own personal purchases