The Rite Aid Rules

This is a post I have been needing and wanting to write for months, it just always got pushed back. Well, here we go. Rite Aid, I love this store! It has totally erased those $200 bi monthly Walmart/Kmart/super store trips. At first glance however, it seems ridiculously overpriced and regularly it is, but if you know the rules, you can save upwards of 90%!

1. Rule #1: Get a Wellness Card. First off this gives you "sale" price of the items, but it doesn't stop there. For every dollar you spend (pre coupon!) you earn 1 point. For every prescription you fill you get 25 points. Once you reach 1000 points, you get 20% off regularly priced items for the rest of the year and the full next year. Right now I have 20% off through 2011 (earned in 2010) and am nearly 500 points to my 1000 points to earn 20% off through 2012. Although this 20% off isn't in addition to the sale price, it is nice to use when you run out of something. For instance even though diapers are regular $12.49 at Rite Aid, I know that with my card I will get them for $9.99 everyday and then if I add a coupon around $7.99, which is an good price in a pinch. You can sign up for a card at any register (it takes about 2 minutes) and start saving. It is totally free.
   
2. Rule #2: + Ups. Plus Ups are the coupons that print after you print a certain item. Think of them as a "catalina" or an instant rebate. For instance, this week if you buy Hyland's Leg Cramps pills at $6.99, you get a $6 + Up. You would pay $6.99 up front and then get a $6 + UP coupon at the bottom of your receipt. If you had a manufacturer's coupon (even a FREE coupon) you will pay less up front, but still get the full $6 +Up. The +Ups can be used like cash on most items, including buying more of the same item. They are also considered a kind payment so they don't need to attach to any item, think of it like a gift card. Meaning if you buy only one item, you could use a +Up, a manufacturer's coupon, and a store coupon on that item. I like to try and "roll" my + Ups from the previous week and use it to pay for another item that will earn me a new + Up. This really helps keep the out of pocket expense down. They are starting to impose limits on the amount of +Ups you can get for a certain item, but usually it is at least 2 or 4, so still worth it! This is tracked by your wellness card. You also need a wellness card in order for the +Ups to print.
   
3. Rule #3: Coupon stacking. Rite Aid allows a manufacturer's coupon and store coupon for each item. Even though the coupons in the Rite Aid weekly ad say "manufacturer's" at the top, they clearly start with an RC in the bar code indicating they are a store coupon and can be stacked.
   
4. Rule #4: Video Values. Each Rite Aid month (which is close but not exactly with the calendar) Video Value coupons are released on rite aid.com. These are coupons you can earn by watching short commercials for the products. There are also special groups of coupons you can watch to earn various $2/$10, $3/$15, 0r $4/$20 coupons. The coupons are Rite Aid coupons and therefore stackable! The coupons are available to earn for 4-5 weeks, but are available in your account to print until they expire, which is usually 1 month after. They are only available to print once, so make sure your printer is ready when you go to print. If you have an issue though, be sure to email them. I recently had a printer jam and contacted them, within 5 days, all my coupons were restored to my account.
   
5. Rule #5: Survey coupons. Randomly at the bottom of some receipts are survey codes. Go to the survey site , enter the code and take the survey (less than 5 minutes) and you will get a one time $3/$15 coupon link.
   
6. Rule #6: SCR catalog. SCR stands for Single Check Rebate. This is what got me hooked on Rite Aid in the first place. They seem to be doing less of these because of +Ups, but they are still a good way to get cheap or even free items. Every Rite Aid month (close to calendar months but run 4-5 weeks and from Sunday to Saturday) a catalog is released of the available rebates. All you need to do is purchase the product you are interested in. Then come home and enter a few short numbers from your receipt online on the Single Check Rebate page at riteaid.com. Once you have entered all your receipts for the month, you can request your check and a one "single check" will come for all your rebates that month. IMPORTANT: You can only request a check once per month, so make sure all your receipts are entered and you are done shopping for the month before you request your check. Again, I recycle this money to earn more SCRs and + Ups, to keep my out of pocket down.
7. Rule #7: Go out and shop. In my experience (except for a rare few ornery cashiers) Rite Aid is very coupon friendly. They also like to promote their Wellness, + Ups program, and SCR programs. You will learn how to play the Rite Aid game best by shopping and figuring it all out.
   

• For an in depth discussion, check out maven of savin
• Also check on i heart rite aid for ad previews and monthly + UPs, as well as some fabulous unadvertised deals.
  

Each week I also post my favorite deals, but be sure to check out my favorite Rite Aid bloggers in the sidebar for more deals. Half the fun of Rite Aid shopping for me is finding the deals, it is kind of like a treasure hunt! Good luck and be sure to ask if you have any questions. In no time you will be a Drug Store Diva!