I had to send it via snail mail because it was too long to fit in the little feedback box on their web-site so it may be a while before I get a response. If/When I do I'll post it here in this thread for all of you to read.
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Dear Walgreens Customer Relations Specialist:
I have been a loyal Walgreens shopper for many years. I am also a savvy coupon user. I have had a lot of great experiences in the Chicagoland stores over the last few years. I recently moved to Michigan and I’ve encountered some situations that I have never encountered before as a Walgreens customer. I am wondering if you can help clarify a few issues regarding coupon usage and earning Register Rewards.
My first question has to do with using manufacturer coupons and Walgreens coupons in the same transaction for the same item. I’ve noticed that in the weekly sales flyer Walgreens has started advertising when there may be a manufacturer’s coupon available that could create even grater savings in addition to the Walgreens sale price. I find this new advertising very helpful. I have noticed that occasionally when these coupons are stacked that the final cost can be different depending on the order the coupons are scanned. Sometimes this difference can be significant. I am sure you can understand that as a budget conscious shopper I always want to get the best price possible and I believe that Walgreens feels the same way as they have taken the time to point out opportunities to stack manufacture coupons with Walgreens coupons in your weekly ad.
Last week I noticed that there was a $3 off Walgreens coupon offered in the weekly ad for select Stayfree products. I was lucky enough to have a few manufacturer coupons for the same item as the manufacturer had recently released a “buy one get one free” coupon in the Sunday paper and additional internet printable coupons for $1 off one package. I can’t remember if the ad for the Stayfree products included the information about the manufacture coupon, but I know I have seen this noted on other sale items so I have been given the impression that Walgreens will accept and encourages the use of both coupons, provided the proper coupon redemption policy is followed, so that customers can maximize their savings.
Last week I made two trips to two different Walgreens stores to take advantage of this great pricing. One of the Walgreens stores scanned my manufacturer coupons first and the Walgreens coupon last. This resulted in a very low price for my items which was much appreciated.
The second store insisted that they had to scan the Walgreens coupon first and the manufacturer coupons last. There was a fairly significant difference in my final price based on the order the coupons were scanned. By scanning the Walgreens coupon first my final cost was several dollars higher. I always do my best to make sure that I follow the guidelines for proper coupon usage and I am familiar with Walgreens coupon policy. A store managers was at the cash register while I was checking out at the second store and I asked him to scan the manufacture coupons first. I was surprised when he told me that he absolutely had to scan the Walgreens coupon first. Since my final cost was significantly higher I decided not to purchase the items and left the store. I’ve never encountered a problem stacking coupons like this before and my recent experience has left me wondering if there is there a corporate policy that requires stores to always scan the Walgreens coupon first? Given the fact that this can result in a difference in the final price of the item I’d like clarification so that in the future I can comparison shop effectively when I’m reviewing store ads to plan my weekly shopping. Last week Rite Aid also had a special sales price on Stayfree products. After the second store told me about the requirement to scan the Walgreens coupon first I decided to buy the rest of the Stayfree items at Rite Aid because it worked out to be a better deal. I would have bought them at Walgreens, but not at the higher price.
My second question has to do with items that are advertised with Register Rewards. Today I was in another (third) Walgreens store in my area. I wanted to take advantage of the sale price on the Tom’s of Maine items. They were advertised at $3.99 with a $3 Register Reward. I took two Tom’s items to the cash register and asked the clerk if she could ring them separately so I could take full advantage of the Register Rewards. She replied that she could not as it was against policy. I was surprised by this for two reasons. First I have asked many clerks to do this prior to today’s visit and have never been refused. Secondly if I were to make two trips to Walgreens and make two separate purchases I would be able to earn Register Rewards on both transactions. I understand that a request like this has to be reasonable and I could understand being denied if I was asking for an excessive number of separate transactions or if my request would delay in servicing other customers. However, in this particular instance neither of these conditions were applicable. I didn’t think that asking for two transactions was excessive and if I had happened to be shopping with a friend I would have simply asked him or her to buy the other item for me. I ended up only buying one Tom’s item instead of two. The experience has left me wondering if there is a Walgreens policy that prevents stores from doing separate transactions for a customer during a single visit? I certainly hope that it is okay to ask for separate transactions because I will often make a special trip to Walgreens just to buy an item that offers a Register Reward and sometimes, if the final price is attractive enough, I’d like to buy a few extra.
I would appreciate clarification on these issues because I want to be a good customer and I want to follow the store policies. I also want to take advantage of opportunities to gain additional saving by pairing a manufacture’s coupon with a great Walgreens’ sale price. I understand that sometimes there are training or communication issues that cause misunderstandings at the register. Perhaps theses situations are simply the result of a misunderstanding between your corporate office and the individual stores. If that is the case I trust that you will correct the situation for your customers. If I have misunderstood Walgreen’s store policies then I’d like to know so that I can adjust my shopping strategy when comparing Walgreen’s weekly ad with other stores’ sales so I can efficiently plan my weekly shopping trips and continue to be a loyal Walgreens’ customer.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to your reply.
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