CVS

If you are full time bargain hunter like myself then you will quickly see the benefits of shopping at CVS. Like many stores CVS has a rewards program. Their program is called Extra Care. To participate you must sign up for an Extra Care card which just takes a few minutes. You can do this in a store, or online here. Once you have your card in hand, then you need to check the sale flyer every week. Here in Harrisonburg, you can get the flyer in the DNR on Saturday or the Washington Post on Sunday. The weekly sales start on Sunday, so make sure you don’t go try to get the deals to early if you get the Saturday paper.

Most people shy away from drug stores because the prices are usually higher than places like Wal-Mart or Target, but if you keep reading you’ll learn how to come out of CVS spending nothing or next to nothing on some great items.

When you get the sale flyer, what you need to look for are the items where you will earn Extra Care Bucks (ECB’s) with the purchase. For example, there may be a razor on sale for $8.99 and you earn $4 in Extra Care Bucks. These are the items that you want to purchase. When you make your first trip you will spend some money out of pocket, so look for items with a high ECB payout. There will be times where you end up with items that you may not really need, but for your first trip look for items that interest you.

To really get the most bang for your buck, you should try to match coupons to ECB sales. It’s very common for the weekly coupons in your paper to match some of the items that offer ECB’s. Every item you can find a coupon for makes the deal sweeter. Once you have your coupons and have made a list of items you want to purchase, head out to the store. It’s usually a good idea to bring your flyer with you, or pick up one while in the store. Quite often the offers are limited to a certain product size and they are often limited to a certain number per transaction. If you don’t pay attention to these things you will be disappointed at the register.

Once you have collected your items, there is a process for checking out. Start with handing the cashier your Extra Care card. This will attach your ECB’s to your card. Then after the items are rung up, give your coupons. If you have ECB’s already, they are given last (but we’ll get to that). If you have done everything correctly your ECB’s will print out on a VERY long receipt. They print with a bar code that is specific to your card, so you can’t share them with others. Generally other coupons for CVS will print on your receipt as well. Pay attention to these because sometimes they print offers for free items, or dollar off coupons.

So now you have a bunch of good products at a receipt full of coupons. Each ECB coupon will be for whatever the amount was and should say what it was for. Your receipt will also tell you if you met the requirement for the ECB’s or if you need to purchase more. Separate the ECB’s for use on your next trip.

Now, the next trip is where this process should start to make sense. When the new sale week starts check the flyer again for ECB deals and match up any coupons you may have. But, here’s where things get a little tricky, but kind of fun. The goal is to have a “perfect rollover” of ECB’s. What this means is that after coupons and after spending your current ECB’s you gain the same amount of ECB’s on your next purchase. If you do this right, you will pay nothing out of pocket, or perhaps just a few dollars. A perfect rollover is hard, and I don’t save every coupon I’ve ever clipped so it rarely happens. But, I usually just spend a few dollars of my own money and come out with the same amount (or more) of ECB’s that I started with.

ECB’s usually have a expiration about a month out, so make sure you keep track of them so they don’t expire. The more you do this the better you will get at it and you will see how much fun it is and get some really great deals. I will tell you that getting a perfect rollover is hard unless you sometimes get some items you may not need. There have been times I’ve ended up with makeup that I might not necessarily use, but if it has a high ECB payout and works well in my scenario then I go for it. There is always someone who can use what you have. So, not only are you gaining ECB’s for a future trip, you may really help someone else out. I have tons of razors and toothpaste. I’ll never be able to use it all, but I donate a lot of it to church groups or people who need a helping hand. Nothing goes to waste.

Now, I know that this is a lot of information to take in, and it sounds a little weird. Trust me, CVS is well aware of people working the deals and they have no problem with it. I’ve never had trouble using more than one ECB coupon at a time and the cashiers all seem familiar with the transactions. There are people all over the country who shop CVS in this manner, so we aren’t pulling the wool over the eyes of CVS. The more you do this, the easier it will get so hang in there.

Additional tips:

• Sign up with CVS Advisor here. You will take surveys to help them understand their customers and in return you may get some great coupons.
• If you are one of the lucky few to get a $ off $ coupon on your receipt you can use that with ECB’s and coupons. The order in which you present your items will change though. Start with your card, the $ off coupon, your manufaturers coupons, then your ECB’s.
• Plan carefully so that you don’t buy too little for your ECB amount. Your transaction needs to be equal too or more than your ECB amount.
• ECB deals are really smokin’ around major holidays. On those days you have to go to the store EARLY to get in on the deals because they will sell out of the items.
• If you can’t find an item, check on the end caps of the aisles. Sometimes they put the hot items on display.

Local Store Reviews

Cantrell Avenue – This one is actually my favorite though others will disagree. They almost always have every item in stock and the cashiers know what they are doing. It’s a pretty crowded store though.

South High Street – This store is big and spacious, but rarely do they have everything in the flyer. It seems like they never have the right size toothpaste for the toothpaste deals.

Port Republic Road – If you are brave enough to go out there this is a nice store. It’s the newest, and laid out well. They usually have everything in stock, but it seems to sell out the quickest on holidays.