Archives for March 2011

Walgreens BOGO is a GO GO – The Final? Chapter!

03/16/2011 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Oh, jiggety-jig-jig-jig! I have been doing a virtual dance for about an hour now. Virtual is as far as my dancing goes, trust me… I think Elaine Benes over here sufficiently explains why. Here’s the latest news flash for my fellow frugal friends:

On a whim this afternoon, I stopped in at a different Walgreens from the one I ventured in to on Monday, just to test the water. Perhaps after a killer workout this morning, coupled with a little too much caffeine, I was ready to put up a fight. (In case you haven’t been following my Walgreens saga, start here, then go here.)

As it turned out, I got all worked up for no reason whatsoever. The shampoo & conditioner rang up as advertised in this week’s ad, and I got the accompanying RR. Better yet, the Right Guard rang up BOGO, as it should have, and the cashier accepted ALL of my BOGO manufacture coupons without a moment’s hesitation. The register blipped each time she scanned the BOGO coupons, and she paused to write in the value for each product. End of story!

So, I am very happy to report that I was able to purchase 4 Herbal Essence products, 4 sticks of Right Guard deodorant, a package of Clearasil, and a store brand 20 oz soda, for a whopping $6.92. And I walked away with $1.00 in RR.

You want to hear the twist of this tale? The location I succeeded at today, is the very location I called to get clarification on their BOGO policy. The manager here told me they do NOT accept BOGO manufacture coupons in conjunction with store BOGO sales. This manager could not explain WHY this was the case, beyond “it just wouldn’t make sense”, and referred me to the corporate number. (Corporate, btw, has yet to contact me!)

….and on a random note, as I was perched to pull out of the parking lot, I witnessed a pedestrian wonder in to the middle of the street, and get struck by a truck. ….no jiggety-jig there, folks….**This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click/purchase/sign up for this offer, I may receive a small amount of compensation for it.**

Keep on saving! :o)
--Barbara
**Remember, y'all, this post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Walgreens BOGO a NO GO, part 2

03/15/2011 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

I’m following up on yesterday’s BUST at Walgreens, since it generated quite a response from y’all. I know I should be able to move on and let it go, but as a consumer, and particularly as a blogger with -may I say- a helluva great readership, I feel compelled to get to the bottom of this.

Perhaps, mostly, I can’t let it go because, no matter how I look at the situation, I KNOW I’M RIGHT. Walgreens is simply refusing to follow its own policy.

For the record, I would be the first to back down and admit being wrong, were that the case. (Luckily for me, I’ve never ever had to make such an admittance — wink, wink.)

Y’all have asked for me to elaborate, so here’s a few more details:

I had BOGO coupons from this Sunday’s paper for Right Guard deodorant, to pair with the BOGO sale listed in their circular.
Here’s where it may get a little sticky: this week’s sales circular advertised Herbal Essence and Aussie shampoo and conditioner were on sale for $2.99, plus $1.00 in RR. However, they also rang up as BOGO. I certainly wasn’t going to object to this, even if it meant I wouldn’t get the RR, as BOGO was obviously a better deal.
The store would accept NEITHER set of BOGO coupons. The poor cashier, bless his heart, kept interjecting, “but you still get one of them for free — that’s still a good deal.” I’m rather proud of the restraint I showed, in not reaching across the counter and slapping him silly. Thank goodness for my impressionable toddler and complete strangers, keeping me in check!
And I hesitate to reveal the specific location, but perhaps it may help y’all out: I was at the Chamblee-Dunwoody location, near the intersection of Mt. Vernon. (Or for you old school Dunwoodians, “the old Brunos”.)

The manager specifically stated that the manufacture BOGO coupon wouldn’t work, since it would drop the price to zero, and that it is illegal to “sell” an item for 0 tax. I showed him my printout of the store’s corporate policy, and pointed specifically to the clause stating:

When items are featured in a Buy One, Get One Free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the items being purchased.

He insisted again that this is not allowable, sticking to his sales tax explanation. This argument, however, is flawed. Sales tax in Georgia is calculated BEFORE the deduction of manufacture coupons. Since the store is reimbursed for the value of the coupon by the manufacture, the store still generates revenue from said sale.** I only wish I had made this realization about manufacturer coupons and sales tax BEFORE I left the store…

My recommendation for Walgreens, regardless of how corporate answers my inquiry, is that they explicitly address this specific situation in their coupon policy. Yes, it is actually already spelled out in their policy as cited above. However, I think it would behoove Corporate to specifically address BOGO manufacture coupons’ use in conjunction with BOGO store sales; that way, it is crystal clear to customers, cashiers, and managers.

I am a well-educated customer who understands -and can somewhat easily decipher- written policies. However, that same assumption cannot be made for all customers, cashiers, or even all managers. Further, I do not believe in making a scene in a store (or anywhere, really), because doing so does not solves the problem at hand. On this particular occasion, I was on the verge of either shouting or crying. Therefore, I simply had to leave the store, and address the situation at a later time. To be honest, the more I stew on this, the more tempted I am to march back in to that store and give them a piece of my mind. Or at least hold them to their own policy.

Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean…..

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Corporate gets back to me in a timely manner, as promised, and that I can get resolution on this situation. In the meantime, y’all keep sharing your feedback with me and my readers.

**Side note: Register Rewards and other forms of store coupons are a whole separate issues. Since the store is NOT reimbursed for the value of those coupons, that coupon amount is NOT taxable.

**This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click/purchase/sign up for this offer, I may receive a small amount of compensation for it.**

Filed Under: Coupons

Walgreen’s BOGO a NO GO?

03/14/2011 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

I’ll try to stick the the facts, and keep it short. (…deep breath…)

I went to Walgreen’s today, with a carefully planned list after studying this week’s sales and accompanying coupons. My planned purchases included a store BOGO sale, paired with a manufacture’s BOGO coupon.

When the cashier couldn’t get the BOGO coupon to work, he suggested we get a manager. The manager stated that the coupons would not work, because in the state of Georgia, it is illegal to “sell” an item for free, that there would be no applicable sales tax. He insisted on this stance, even after I shared THE STORE’S CORPORATE POLICY. (See below.) I knew this was not the case, as I’ve made these types of transactions before.

Long story short, I ended up scooping up my coupons and daughter, canceling the transaction, and walking out. The ordeal had taken more time than it should have, and we were running behind schedule.

I’ve called a few stores, to see if it was just the specific location I was at, or if it’s a consistent policy across the board. Each store said they can NOT accept BOGO manuf coupons on BOGO sale items. However, NO ONE could explain why to me.

I brought up the following points, each being confirmed by the store’s manager:

* it is the STORE that has the sale, not the manufacture;

* manufacture’s reimburse the store for the amount of coupons;

* therefore, the store is offering ONE free item, and the manufacture is offering ONE free item;

* sale tax is calculated pre-manufacture coupon amount.

I was eventually referred to the 1-800 number. The lady I spoke with could not offer me an explanation, and thus referred my “case” to “senior management”. I should receive a call within the next two business days… We shall see!

Taken directly from Walgreen’s coupon policy:

“Buy One, Get One Free Coupons

When items are featured in a Buy One, Get One Free promotion, up to two coupons can be used against the items being purchased, as long as the net price does not go below zero for the items being purchased.

Sales tax must be paid for any Buy One, Get One Free coupon offers, if required by applicable state laws”

**Sigh** I’m sure this will turn in to an ongoing saga.

Were any of YOU able to make their BOGO sales work with a manuf BOGO coupon?? If so, I’d love to live vicariously through you, so please share! :o)

**This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click/purchase/sign up for this offer, I may receive a small amount of compensation for it.**