Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Lessons Learned While CVS'n

CVS 6-25-08

Mistakes:

1) Accidentally used a July $5/$25 coupon, instead of one of my two June $5/$25 coupons.

2)Purchased 4 Soy Joy Bars, hoping to get $4/$4ECB = Free, however the "Offer Limit" had already been reached during a previous visit.

3)A. Purchased 2 Brut Antiperspirants, and 4 Brut Deodorants, expecting $3ECB for six items. Learned that the 5 Item Offer Limit applied to the entire Brut product line, and thus paid $3.39 for one item, and did not receive the $3ECB for it. B. Also learned that if I wanted to return that one item, I would not get $3.39, but rather $0.39, because I had paid for the items with ECBs, and was not entitled to the full amount in cash, coupons, credit or ECBs.

4)Forgot to pick up Rain Check for a Smart Rinse and an Oral B Toothbrush at my local CVS.


Smart Choices:


1) When I needed cheap items to use up ECBs or to take advantage of the $5/$25 coupons, I didn't buy items that would cause me to spend a dollar of my own cash, or settle for losing 20-40 cent of value from my ECBs. Instead, I found items discounted to fifty cent and sixty cent on the candy display. Turned out the sale prices on these candies had expired, but I asked the Mgr. to honor the sticker prices anyway. I reached my goals, used up ECB's and saved $1.39 on Altoids and $1.49 on Ice Breaker Gum. I'm not a big gum and hard candy person, but I eat them occasionally-- so the prices I paid for those items suit me just fine.

2) Picked up Rain Checks for Deoderant that wasn't available in my "other" CVS. Learned that Rain Checks aren't given for items CVS lists as "Free." Also learned that one the ECB period of time expires for an item, you will get the item for the reduced price, but you won't get the ECB's. (IE: Brut is 3.19, + 3ECB's. Cost: $0.19 after ECB's. With Rain Check, once the deal expires, you'll get the Brut for 19 cent, but you won't get the 3ECB's.)

Life is an endless school. If you aren't learning something, you might as well be dead.

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