CVS 101

Now CVS isn’t nearly as hard to understand as Walgreens, but sometimes it can get confusing. Thanks to their Extra Care Program, I am able to get free shampoo, deodorant, mouthwash, etc when shopping at CVS.

First thing you need to do is sign up for an EXTRA CARE CARD!! You can do this at your local CVS. You can do it online, however it’s MUCH easier and faster if you do it in the store. Having a CVS card ensures that you will get the SALE price on every item, and also special coupons!

LINGO & ABBREVIATIONS:
ECB – Extra Care Bucks – These print out with your receipt after your purchase, and can be used like cash on your next transaction.
Limit # - Each “promotion” at CVS has a limit, which means you can only do this deal a certain number of times before the ECBs stop printing. CVS does this so their shelves aren’t emptied by 1 person.
**example:
These are located right underneath the price, so look out for these!
MFQ – Manufacturer Coupon
SQ – Store Coupon – CVS also has in store coupons that you can “stack” with your MFQs for even more savings.

How to get FREE items:
The easiest way is purchasing something that is FREE after ECBs, or FREE after coupons and/or ECBs. For example: CVS occasionally has “FREE after ECBs items” in their ads. (ie. Buy 1 Toothbrush for $1.00, get $1.00 ECBs – essentially FREE).

How to make a PROFIT:
The easiest way to make a profit is to purchase something that produces an ECB. You know you will make a profit if your total for that item (after you used a coupon) is LESS than the ECBs it produces. For example, let’s say there is Shampoo on sale for $4.49, get $4.49 ECBs (see below). Well if you have a $1.00 MFQ, you will make a profit.
Pay $3.49, get back $4.49 ECBs. So…as long as your item total ($3.49) is LESS than the ECBs it produces ($4.49), you will make a profit shopping at CVS.

Getting a Raincheck:
Unlike Walgreens, at CVS – you CAN get a raincheck on an ECB item. So if the shelf no longer has the item you are looking for, go get a raincheck. CVS will give you the sale price AND the ECBs. Sometimes this can be a hassle because you want the item NOW, BUT sometimes it’s a blessing because a coupon could come out in the next couple of weeks, where you could make your OOP expense even lower!!

Use this Coupon Order to help you out!!:
1) CVS Money-Off Coupons - $/$$ (ie. $5 off $20 purchase)
2) Manufacturer Coupons
3) Store/CVS Coupons
4) Extra Care Bucks

Tips:
-I like to do most of the calculations and work ahead of time so I’m as prepared as possible when I get to the register. Nothing is worse than being unprepared, which makes me frazzled and makes the people waiting behind me angry.

-Do multiple transactions! Don’t just get everything all at once, pay a lot out of pocket, and leave the store with a bunch of ECBs. Split it up so you can roll over those ECBs and pay little OOP. For example, use the ECBs you got from transaction #1 on transaction #2, and so forth.

-If you purchase an item that produces an ECB, and the limit is more than 1, try to purchase those items in different transactions. For example, if there was a deal on deodorant, buy it for $2.00, get $2.00 ECBS (limit 2). Well, If you buy 2 in the same transaction, you will get (1) $4.00 ECBs instead of (2) $2.00 individual ones. You want to keep your ECBs as low as possible. So try splitting them up and purchase them in different transactions.

-You CAN use ECBs on the same deal. For example: you can use the $3.00 ECBs you received for toothpaste, to get more toothpaste...only to get another $3.00 ECB.

-CVS money off coupons (ie. $5/$20) are calculated based on the BEFORE coupon total, which is why you want to use this coupon at the beginning of your transaction.

-Make sure ALL your ECBs print. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but luckily (unlike Walgreens), CVS cashiers can print your ECBs for you at the register. Just make sure you purchased all items that qualify for the ECBs.

-CVS ECBs expire in 1 month – YAY!!! (**but I JUST found out that these can be re-issued. Each store is allowed to take expired ECBs up to 2 weeks. Anything over that, there is a phone # on the back of your CVS card. Just call that # and ask them to reissue your ECBs.**) So in essence...your ECBs NEVER expire - YAY x 2!!

-ECBs can be adjusted down. So if your total is $3.99, and you have a $4.00 ECB, go ahead and use it. You’ll just have to eat that $.01, but it’s better than paying $3.99, right?

Here are some examples of the deals I've scored:
- 12/13/2009
- 11/28/2009
- 7/19/2009