But I’ve always been curious as to why Walgreens would want to scan their coupons first, then MFG Coupons. Or, if an item is on sale 2 for xx amount, one being the main price and the other being adjusted. If we use a B1G1F, they give us the lowest amount, yet they would be getting the higher amount if it’s not a write-in. If it is a write-in, it only makes financial sense for them to get the most for their money by writing in the higher amount allowed by the coupon and passing that savings along to the customer as well. A win-win for both.

Just curious

Mercedes

My problem is when the cashier simply tells me “the machine won’t let me do it” and then just looks at me without offering to help in any way. I shouldn’t lose out on coupon savings because of a machine (what if it’s defective?). I should only lose those savings if I was using the coupon improperly (in which case the savings were never there in the first place).

This is my beef about customer service in general. Never, ever let a computer tell you how to do your job. If the manager says the coupon is no good, fine. But if the computer says it, that’s not good enough.

Again, most cashiers don’t do this, but a few do. :-/

Fair enough. Lesson learned. I won’t try that again. But now I want to return the item. I suppose I should’ve done it right away, but I had a baby with me and didn’t want to make my shopping trip any longer. So if I try to return it now, will the store cashier/manager think I’m trying to abuse the system? Or is there a way for them to see, based on my receipt, that I did not receive an RR and simply want my money back on a regular (non-RR) purchase?

When manufacturers put out coupons, they know what they are doing. They know exactly how many coupons they are putting out and how much money it could cost them. Their marketing guys do the analysis and determine that that “loss” is worth it to them because it will bring in more consumers to buy their products. If they find that the coupons are causing them to lose more than they are getting back, they won’t need to raise prices … they will simply stop issuing coupons.

Remember also that a lot of coupons end up expiring before they are ever used. In the end, the manufacturers do come out ahead. If they didn’t, they would not issue coupons.

I also wanted to comment I sympathize with cashiers who have trouble doing their jobs due to these sorts of issues. But please remember that most customers are not actually trying to make your lives difficult. They are just trying to be smart consumers and make the best use they can of the opportunities stores/manufacturers provide to save money. Unless they are actually lying or using fake coupons, there is nothing unethical about it. If coupons must be printed in a certain order, then that policy should be printed up for all to see. I don’t know of any couponer who will knowingly try to trick a cashier into violating such a policy.

I’m positive that a customer using coupons has absolutely no bearing on an employee’s salary or hourly pay! In fact, Walgreens employees should be grateful that we shop in there stores, making Walgreens more money to pay them. It has already been stated, but again, Walgreens is reimbursed for every penny of each coupon plus $.08. So my using a coupon is the same as using cash. This goes for RR’s too, they are manufacterer’s coupons which are mailed to the same place as regular coupons and reimbursed the same way. RR’s are great for Walgreens employees too, they bring the customer BACK to spend more! Companies don’t put out coupons hoping that no one uses them, they actually want them to be used and they hope that their usage creates brand loyalty, which in some cases it does. There have been many things which I have gotten cheap or free with couponing that I have fallen in love with and will buy with or without the deal. Final thought: If anything, Walgreens cashiers should have an easier time feeding their families, look at how available the deals are to them

1. A customer uses a Register Reward printed from purchasing Product X toward purchasing another Product X. This is a blatant attempt to abuse the system and it does not work. If you purchase the product, the machine will not print another copy of the coupon.

2. A customer purchases items which net them Register Rewards. They then return the item but not the Register Reward. The management knows what is going on (they’re not idiots) and will give a refund for the product less the amount of the Register Reward.

3. A customer tries to get the ‘most of their coupons’ and get money off an item that has been reduced to zero. The current Walgreens register is programmed to take off a set amount of the price of an item, and the machine will take off the programmed amount regardless of the adjusted price. This is taking advantage of the system and the coupon order (W coupon first, MFR coupon second, RR last) Walgreens cashiers are supposed to use is designed to minimize this issue.

A new issue that some people are complaining about is the ‘One RR per item per day per customer’ rule. This policy was instituted recently due to a person ringing up nearly two dozen of the same item in separate transactions to get nearly two dozen Register Rewards.

If it’s really that important to you, you can drive around to each Walgreens to get one Register Reward, but smart money says you’re spending more on gas than you’re saving on RRs.

I’m not disgruntled, just fed up with cashier abuse.

I worked the register at Walgreens for ten months and one of the first things they told me was to ring coupons in a specific order. The intent was for this policy to be transparent to customers. The management informed me that if any clerk was seen ringing coupons out of order, they would be written up and disciplined accordingly.

I suppose none of this really matters since the last post on this topic was four months ago and nobody but you or I will end up reading it.

I apologize for upsetting your status quo. I am simply tired of the endless ways people come up with to make a poor cashier’s day more difficult and stressful than they have to be. Is a fellow human being’s misery really worth $2 in your pocket?

Mercedes

PS. You calling me a scammer only shows your ignorance regarding coupons. No one is here to scam any business. last I checked Walgreens gets reimbursed for all coupons they take, so they are not out of any $$.

Just know that when you pull your ‘hiding coupons’ trick, the cashiers are technically supposed to cancel the transaction and start it over from scratch to ring it properly. Doing it out of order can get those poor souls in trouble with the management and potentially cost them their job. They have to be there, you don’t. If time is money, then you certainly won’t be coming out ahead.

And no, the customer is not always right.

Sorry, I have decided to delete your comment. Just as much as you are entitled to your opinion, you do not just come here and insult my readers.

Mercedes

Last week all you needed to do was show your manager the ad because the skintimate deal was advertised there. There’s no official RR deals list as in coming from Walgreens but all the ones I have listed on my weekly deals come form the sales circular.

Mercedes

The RR prints not at the end of the receipt. It prints from a separate machine located almost always next to the register. You can use them as coupons to lower the amount of money you spend on your next transaction.

Mercedes

Thank you again for your help.