I really do hate to be the bearer of bad news. There have been some updates to Rite Aid’s Coupon Policy and one of them is kinda shocking. Here is in my opinion the wort change:
Buy One Get One Free coupons cannot be used in conjunction with a Buy One Get One Free promotion.
This means no more Free Items when combining a buy one get one sale with a buy one get one free coupon.
Another change:
Rite Aid may accept up to 4 identical coupons for the same number of qualifying items as long as there is sufficient stock to satisfy other customers within the store manager’s sole discretion.
This is not a “bad” change per se as limits help protect us from shelf clearers. The last change:
A customer can use one “cents off” coupon in conjunction with the item they are purchasing on a Buy One Get One Free promotion (or with a Buy One Get One Free coupon), although the value of the cents off coupon cannot exceed the selling price of the item.
So, no more using two coupons when an something is on sale buy one get one free. I do not understand why they are saying they won’t accept a cents off coupon that exceeded the selling item of the price since they get reimbursed the full amount from the manufacturer.
While I understand that Rite Aid is a Business Enterprise and they are in it to make money, that last change makes the least sense to me. Because it is actually discouraging sales. Imposing limits is not necessarily bad nowadays since there is so many people hunting deals. Limits can be good in ensuring everyone can take advantage of a deal or offer.
How will this change the way you shop at Rite Aid?
Hi! I am Mercedes and this is my blog Common Sense with Money! Helping other people live better, spend less, and save more is something I am very passionate about. I combine simple frugal living tips and smart shopping techniques to help moms across the U.S. become better home economists. Thank you for visiting my blog.
My local Rite-Aid has already been so unfriendly about accepting coupons that I won’t even shop there anymore. I’ve transferred all of my prescriptions to CVS, and I just ignore the Rite-Aid deals, as much as it hurts to ignore deals! I won’t shop places that treat their customers badly. I’m not interested in feeling second-class just because I use coupons.
That’s TERRIBLE! It’s a pity you don’t have a choice. There’s 4 Rite Aid’s near me… well 2 are nearer than the other 2. There is 1 Rite Aid where they’re not as friendly as in the others so I avoid that one as much as I can, unless they’re the only one with something I need in stock.
I don’t even shop there because of the unfriendly employees, the unwillingness to help, and they pickiness on the coupons in the past. This just gives me another reason to never shop there.
Millisa
Battle Creek, MI
Oh no! I refuse to shop at Walgreens, so Rite Aid kind of filled in the “cracks” for me that cvs leaves sometimes…. I guess I won’t be shopping at Rite Aid now either :/.
Looks like I’m going to have to hit stockpiling EVEN HARDER in case CVS loses their minds too.
i haven”t shopped at Rite Aid in a long time. The people are nice, but they are very unfriendly to any coupon.
CVS and Walgreens have always been good to us and no questions asked.
unfortunately this will probably be the trend for other stores as well due to the TLC show extreme couponing.. they should call it extreme hoarding.. i mean they come in and clear shelves and make it to where a store can not meet customer demand and that eventually hurts the store in the long run. i.e, “i won’t shop there anymore because….”
just a side note on the TLC show, seems like they all have a disorder or food fatuation that seems so unrealistic in today’s society. i mean come on, do you really need 1500 rolls of toliet paper???
The articles say that many of these people actually preorder the items, but the producers have the store put in on the shelves to make it look more appealing that they are getting so much product. It isn’t as big of a WOW factor when they show things in boxes I guess.
I went to Rite Aid the other day to take advantage of the Ziploc deal that I’m sure everyone remembers. I was there on Monday and someone had already cleared the shelves. When I spoke to the lady a the register about it, she said one customer came in and bought the entire stock out, and they could not stop her because the circular did not say “limit 4″ (or whatever). It was discouraging, because the next closest Rite Aid is a hassle for me to get to. So I’m glad they’ve implemented that change, at least.
I’m happy to see that stores are finally seeing sense in all the coupon madness. After seeing shows like Extreme Couponing, I now realize there are people that have a sickness akin to gambling with discounts. Stores should not be encouraging an illness, and if that means I have to spend 50 more cents, so be it.
I have a feeling couponing as we have known it will be changed dramatically in years to come because of the internet, shows like the TLC Extreme Couponing, fraud more prevelant now, etc.
I think we are in for more and more stores cracking down on the coupons. I am sooo tired of the rude people who clear everything off the shelf and then try to justify it by saying they are donating. I donate as much as possible but I never ever clear the shelf to do it!! I dont know if that STUPID TLC show is making people crazy but enough already! Just plain tired of the rudeness!!!!! by the way…love your site
Wow, this stinks. I always look for the buy one get one free items for free products. I was waiting for the dog treats; beggin strips BOGO sale again. Well the good news is we still have CVS and Walgreens. Rite Aid will definitely see a drop in sales and maybe come to their senses. Yesterday I tried to use a 3.00 MF coupon on a clearance item that was 2.00 and they said I couldnt use it because it exceeds value of the product.. So I guess I wont shop a Rite Aid.
The manager at my Rite Aid tried to pick something wrong on coupons even I just used about 4-5 coupons. Plus, almost everytime I was there, I could not find anything on the shelves. So I don’t see any good reasons to shop there any longer.
I will NOT be shopping there! I quit shopping at Walgreens 2 years ago because of their rude and incompetent cashiers, and their coupon policy. I’ve always preferred CVS, so not shopping at Rite Aid isn’t a big deal!
I agree with having limits, there’s nothing more discouraging than going to a store on the 1st day of the sale and find the shelves empty. The other new rules just discourages people from shopping there and shop where they’ll get the best deal. You’re right, they’re not losing money by accepting the coupons since the mfg reimburses them. When I went to Walgreens yesterday the cashier couldn’t have been more helpful, he gave me pointers in getting the most of my coupons. I’ll go back there before going back to Rite Aid.
I also agree with the limits. I am tired of wasting gas and money trying to find a deal b/c of inconsiderate people clearing the shelves. However, I usually reserve Rite Aid for simple deals b/c of their coupon-unfriendly employees. I have had more trouble there than any other of the drug stores. I had a raincheck recently with an Up reward. One time before, I had a raincheck and the manager just took the value of the Up reward off of the price of the item. Well, this time, the manager would not do it and when I explained what had been done in the past, she said she could not do that and basically accused me of having a invalid raincheck b/c it did not have a manager’s signature!! The cashier gave it to me, not the manager, and how was I supposed to know that a manager was supposed to sign it?!?! I was so offended!! As if I walk around with a Rite AId raincheck pad in my pocket . . . good grief! The sad thing is that the item was just on sale the week before . . . . but it was only over $1 and it was an item I really needed for my daughter, so I did not make a big fuss.
So this is just one more reason to avoid Rite Aid . . . unless there is a really compelling deal, of course!
I stopped shopping at Rite Aid several months ago because the manager at my local store is a huge jerk. He accused me of being a cheat and a fraud. I was so upset I left the store in tears. I wrote a very long letter detailing my transaction and exactly what he said to me and while the district manager did call me and apologized I simply couldn’t stomach giving them another penny of my money. If something is on sale at RA that I want I price match it at Walmart! At least they don’t call me names there.
I heard about this a few days ago and sad to say Walgreens will be doing the same soon. I am not sure CVS will follow but I used to love RA. This is just crazy how they just went to complete extremes(limits are good but the rest BAD). And now with thier 5 off of 25 purchase coupons you have to spend 25 you can’t use coupons to cover the 25 amount anymore. I have noticed that thier attitude has changed greatly towards customers it is not for the better they remind me of Walgreens and I hate Walgreens. Maybe if they see they are losing customers they will change it back. Walmart is the only store that I know of that changed thier policy to benefit coupon users. I knew that tlc’s show would kill it for coupon users. What can you do??!!
I used to shop at rite aid and love it. But since all the policy changes I won’t be going any more It is just my way to protest their lastest changes.
I’m confused…
After my items were rung up THREE times (cashier and manager couldn’t master the scanner…this was just to get my 10 items in the register…no coupons even entered at this point), I was told that I couldn’t use a BOGO coupon with a $1 off coupon for the “buy one” item. After reading the changes, it looks like that should be okay. I was still have to pay $2.50 for the 2 items. Am I missing something?
Hope that made sense : )
They must have had it wrong, I did it yesterday just fine. The policy states you can’t use a B1G1 with a B1G1 promotion – but a B1G1 and a $1 off on the one your purchasing should be fine. I would call their help and have a letter sent to you stating you can, or use their online chat with customer service, that’s what I did so I had her contact info, badge #, etc – asked her the questions I wanted to ask and I had all her responses printed, so when a problem came up I pulled it out (this happened months ago) the team lead on duty called and actually spoke to her and cleared up the problem – they were in the wrong – sometimes these people don’t even understand their own policies, just need someone else to explain them to them.
I commented earlier, but I’m back again to comment on Rite Aid. I made another trip yesterday, and the shelves were already cleared. That irritates me to no end. The circular came out on Sunday, and by Tuesday morning everything was gone. I do realize it’s every man for himself, but the shelf-clearers really give couponers a bad reputation. Anyway, I picked up an item that had a coupon stuck to it, which I see a lot in stores. My experience has been that most cashiers miss those “save now” coupons, so I always peel them off and put them in with the other coupons that I present at checkout. This time the cashier told me she would not be able to use the coupon because it had been removed from the bottle. Rite Aid’s new policy is that any coupon that comes on the package must remain on the package until the cashier removes it. She said that the purpose of the stick-on coupons is to encourage the sale of products about to expire, but people have been pulling them off and using them on newer, fresher product. I really wish shoppers would act accordingly when it comes to coupons. It’s the renegade couponers who are making it hard for the rest of us to enjoy the sales and feel rewarded for taking the time to clip and sort our coupons. Clearing shelves and using coupons in a way not intended by the manufacturers and stores gives couponing a bad name.
So I am sad about the BOGO policy, but I am super happy about protection from shelf clearers. I have been in a couponing war here in my area with the Extreme Couponers. People in my area have taken off in ridiculous numbers. But one lady has become so obsessive, she clears every shelf at all the grocery stores, all the dollar stores and all of the pharmacies. If I am not ready with my list on Sunday, I get nothing for the entire week. I am still waiting on a shipment of Motrin and Purex where she has stockpiled so much, they cannot keep up with her demands.
The “cents off” may have something to do with a similar case with this same woman. With food stamps, the registers in our area will not give us +UP rewards. So you receive cash. So when you combine your purchases with your f/s, the computer will take off the dollar amount for the item(s) even if a coupon is covering the cost. So not only has she been clearing the shelves, she is clearing the registers, too. I know the managers and the cashiers complain about her constantly. I have f/s, too, and this person has made it so embarrassing to coupon with f/s when my husband and I are trying very hard to make it. The employees even tried to deter me from couponing, but I always make sure to leave a few cents or a dollar or so to cover taxes. They seem to be nicer to me and always work with me after that. I dunno, but it is a perspective.
Rite Aid is by far one of my favorite places to coupon. However at my local store there are 2 cashiers that I have no patience for because they are snotty and have no patience for coupons. But the supervisor and 2 other nice ladies are always very nice and helpful. I actually think the new coupon policy is ok, I do hate that you can’t use 2 coupons on the B1G1 deals anymore, however shopping there was better this time around because WOW – they still had items in stock!! I got 4 gillette body wash, 2 old spice deoderant and 2 body wash, 2 veet items, a hair color i’d been wanting went clearance $2.99 (got it for free!). shaving cream – 2 loaves of bread, hot dog buns, 2 toys for the kids (B1G1) and a few other things and I only paid $7 Out of Pocket. So I think I did very well.