Nov 2, 2007 4:34 pm US/Eastern
3 On Your Side: Drugstore Freebies
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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These days chain pharmacies sell a lot more than just drugs, they offer one-stop shopping for everything from toiletries and paper products, to make-up and cleaning supplies. But how would you like to "clean up" at the register?
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These days chain pharmacies sell a lot more than just drugs, they offer one-stop shopping for everything from toiletries and paper products, to make-up and cleaning supplies. But how would you like to "clean up" at the register? 3 On Your Side's Jim Donovan has the inside scoop on drugstore deals and freebies.If shopping were a competitive sport, Stephanie Nelson would be a gold medalist. Stephanie says "I think it is kind of an intellectual challenge." We followed the self proclaimed "Coupon Mom" to CVS and watched her in action.Her first rule, sign up for drug store loyalty cards. She showed us toothpaste that normally sells for $2.99 a tube, but using her CVS Extra Care Card at check-out she'll get $2.99 back in the form of a coupon, something CVS calls "extra bucks." Those "extra bucks" can be used like cash on your next visit. But she also added on to her savings using manufacturer coupons, in this case another $1 off per tube. So Stephanie actually made a dollar profit for every free tube of toothpaste that she purchased!Stephanie advises consumers to ignore the photos when using coupons. She says "it's actually the wording that determines how you can use the coupon." So read carefully, Stephanie says "if it doesn't say excluding trial sizes, then look at the trial size section. You may find the coupon is more than the price of the item, then you can get that item free." Stephanie proved her point by buying three .99 cent trial-size deodorants. Using one dollar coupons, she picked them up for free!Drug store deals aren't just found in weekly fliers. Stephanie says look for monthly fliers too, often you can find them at the front door of the store. In the CVS monthly flier Zantac 150 was a featured item. It normally sold for $5.49, but on this visit shoppers would get $5.49 in the form of an "extra bucks" reward. She added to her savings using manufacturer coupons and a rebate. In the end she got two boxes of Zantac and had a profit of $7!From antacids to breakfast foods, lotions to medical testing kits, Stephanie's says "planning is really the key to saving money on groceries and personal care items."
On the day we shopped with her, Stephanie's purchases totaled $142.40. By using her loyalty card she saved $16.64, then using coupons her total was brought down to $56.53. That is a savings of over 60 percent. But she wasn't finished just yet, the cash register spit out $76 in "extra bucks" rewards that she could use like cash on future visits. When all was said and done, she ended the trip with a profit of $22.27!Most other chain pharmacies like Walgreen and Rite Aid have loyalty programs too. The key is to stack your savings. Coupon Mom Stephanie Nelson has written a free e-book that gives you step by step directions on how to save. You can get a free copy by visiting the link to the right of this report.
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