Walgreens Follow-Up

So after by rant about Walgreens last week, reader Laura called me with the phone number for the Walgreens District Office in Las Vegas. Since I had not yet heard back from them via the customer service feature on their website, I took advantage of the information. When I called, I told them I was following up with an email I sent and after investigating it a bit, they asked if they could call me back. Shortly thereafter I received a personal email from the manager of my local store, answering some of my questions. Then I emailed back to clarify some issues even more. So here's what I found out in case you are interested:

* There is NOT a Walgreens coupon policy for public consumption. The customer service rep at the District Office told me they have one internally for managers, but not for the public. So no luck there!

My local manager emailed me this information (these are quotes):
* Basically, coupons can only be used for the item printed on the coupon, we do not accept expired coupons & you cannot "double up" on manufacturer's coupons.
* You can use a coupon on a clearance item - provided the coupon does not exceed the clearance price. (Your example of the L'Oreal would be ok.) Just remember that you cannot get money back from a coupon.
* You can use a Walgreen coupon in conjunction with a manufacture's coupon.
* Finally, the amount of the coupons presented cannot exceed the amount of purchase. To use the Garnier Fructis example (from last week), you would be able to use the easy saver coupon and the Sunday paper coupon, IF the coupon in the paper is LESS than 99cents (that is your final cost after the easy saver coupon). Budgeteer interjection - I think this must have been what was causing the most problems, since the cost after the Easy Saver coupon would be $.99 and the manny was for $1.
* Walgreens coupons printed from our registers can be confusing: They come in two types 1) Manufacturer's coupons and 2) Walgreens Register Rewards. The first type is simply a regular manufacturer's coupon and would be handled as such. The second type can only be redeemed at a Walgreens, and must meet the requirements printed on the reward. Most importantly, if you use a reward to purchase an item that has a reward offer, you will NOT receive an additional reward. In other words, you cannot use a register reward to get a register reward.
* As for problems with Register Rewards - every Walgreens employee hates them because they only work 50% of the time. Corporate seems to be getting better at them, but I know there are still issues. All that I can say is the reward cannot exceed the amount of purchase and all conditions of the reward must be met. If it still doesn't scan, my standing policy is to issue a gift card in place of the reward- a process that only a manager can do.

This cleared up some of my confusion. Hopefully it does for you too. So now that you know your rights, use your knowledge to score some great deals.