Store Secrets: Rite Aid 101

Here are the secrets to one of my favorite stores! First of all review this post.

Rite Aid has program called Single Check Rebates (SCR). Every month they have rebates on 100+ products. These might be anything from full prices to $1. Each month (close to, but not actually 1st-31st) the release a rebate catalog that lets you know what rebates are available. Usually the rebate is paired with a sale price one week and that is the week you want to buy that item. After you are done shopping, simply sign up for SCR program here. Then log in and enter three numbers from the top of your receipt. At the end of the month, be sure to request your check. (Only do this when you are done shopping, because you can only do it once per month.) It is that simple, no mail, no UPC codes, no hassle. Rite Aid even emails you the status of your rebates and rebate check! When your check comes, you can cash it and use it anywhere you want! (I usually recycle it back at Rite Aid!)

Other reasons to love Rite Aid

1. They release $5/$25 coupons on various sites regularly.
2. Every month they have different video value coupons. You earn these coupons by watching short videos (commercials). They are usually high value coupons that can't be found elsewhere. You can stack them with manufacturer's coupons because they are Rite Aid coupons. Earn 20 points by watching these videos and you can get a $5/$20 coupon. This only takes about 15 minutes.
3. They allow you to stack Rite Aid coupons (from video values, in ads, and store booklets) with manufacturers. Use both coupons with SCR and you get a lot of free/money makers!
4. Besides cash rebates, they also frequently have gift packs you can earn with purchases. Some promos will even earn you Rite Aid gift cards. (see current SCR catalog for details)
5. If after 1 month after it was sent, a check or gift doesn't arrive, their customer service team will send a replacement. All it takes is a simple phone call.
6. They run lots of sweepstakes, also usually through the SCR catalog.

*If you want to read their coupon policy or watch a video on this, click on over to hip 2 save.

Store Secrets: Kmart K'Ching

Remember when I told you about Kmart Shop Your Rewards Card here. Well, if you still haven't gotten yours, I recommend doing it this week. Why, because Kmart has 3X rewards points (3%) on all clearance apparel. Not only this, but clearance apparel is marked down an extra 40%. I went to my Kmart and there was not one or two clearance racks, but almost the ENTIRE children's section was clearance! Great time to stock up on necessities or get a start on next year's winter clothes.

Also at Kmart yesterday, I got a K'Ching reward! They scanned my card and this big notice came up on the register screen. The cashier yelled to the manager, "We have another winner!" She also pushed this red button that made lights and siren noises. I am thinking wow, I must have won something awesome! When my receipt finished printing, I got a coupon for "Free Dental Floss." Now don't get me wrong free is always good, but I thought it was comical that they had all the fanfare for dental floss, lol. I like this new K'Ching thing though. I mean when has the Wal ever given you "free" anything. :)

If you want to check out Kmart this week, please check out Bargain Briana. She is a great Kmart shoppers and deal finder. Also, she has just launched her frugal map which highlights frugal blogs in every state to help you find deals near you.

Store Secrets: Huggies and Pampers

Okay, this isn't about a store and it's not really a secret, but do you know what I love, "rewards" just for buying products I already need and buy. Huggies and Pampers both fall into this category.

• Huggies, first off have box tops, but second they have codes for the Enjoy the Rides sweepstakes. You can enter these codes for a chance to win prizes, both big and small.


• Pampers have Gift to Grow point codes in each package. They can be used to redeem prizes (also some big some small). You do have to pay shipping, but during special promotion times, they even waive that (like right now!). I have got a Legos set and a couple of DVDs for my kids for just a few dollars shipping in the past.

Freebies 4 mom (sidebar) also updates special codes that are released to everyone. Don't forget to sign up at both sites to receive coupons, free samples, and other offers based on your child's age. The links for all the baby mailing lists are here, scroll to bottom. Also be sure to update if you move.

Store Secrets: Kmart Shop Your Way Rewards Card

It is no secret that I prefer the K to the Wal as far as Marts go, but here is another reason I prefer Kmart. Kmart just released a rewards card, called shop your way rewards. I went to my Kmart and got a card and the details, here are the perks:

• Earn 1% back in Rewards on all purchases at Kmart, Sears, Lands' End at Sears, kmart.com, sears.com, and mygofer.com


• Rewards are stored on your card and you have the option of when you want to use them. You can used them every time (that amount comes off your receipt) or save them up and use them towards a bigger purchase. Your cashier will ask you each time if you want to use them.


• Win great prizes with K'Ching surprises at checkout in Kmart stores (not sure what this is yet).


• Earn bonus Rewards (example: right now get 2% back on certain items) on promotions


• Get valuable coupons with your card at Kmart pharmacy


• Hassle-free returns at stores (shouldn't that already be in place, just asking?)

Basically you can sign up here or in the store. I did in the store so I could have my card faster. Now everytime you shop, just hand over your card and it will keep track of your rewards. 1% may not be much, but it does ad up. Plus if you need to buy something big, it could really help you out.

Store Secrets: Land of No Doubles and other Coupon Injustices

I live in the Pacific Northwest, more specifically Oregon. I have also lived in Utah for most of my life and guess what all of these places are in the "land of no doubles." You know when you see those coupon tv stories where the lady fills her cart and pays like 27 cents, well how does she do it? Two secrets they don't tell you 1)she has like 20 coupons for the same item that happens to be priced so it is free that week and 2)she is going to a store that doubles or triples coupons. Yes some places routinely double or even triple coupons, no extra hassle, no extra coupons. Oh the irony to think I lived in the Midwest for two years as a poor newly wed graduate students and we never knew this. :(

The only time I get double magic is when KMart doubles, which hasn't happened for almost a year ago in the Northwest, or when Albertsons releases their doublers. I hate how you can only use three per transaction though. I am not really a fan of multiple transactions, plus when they did let me do it at Albertsons, they made me feel like I was getting away with something. Triples coupons, never even heard of it!

Another injustice is the price difference and lack of sale items in what is supposed to be a "national" ad...why? Why the unfairness? Aren't Western and Northwestern couponers deserving of the deals? Why do you hear about a great $3 coupon only to find it is $0.75 for your state or zip code? Seems just unfair to me, but maybe there is a reason, I just don't know it, do you?

And what about pulling the Red Plum inserts from the Utah, Idaho, and Nevada papers? Well, at least I can do something about that one. Go here to sign up for the Red Plum via mail. I have to warn you though, I tried this a few months ago and never got anything. However, Oregon still gets the Red Plum inserts in the paper and I did move since then, so probably one of those reasons is why. Which brings me to another injustice, why doesn't the postal service consider coupon mail "forwardable"? I know it is my favorite piece of mail to get, hmmm no love for the couponers.

What injustices have you noticed in your area? Let's vent!

Store Secrets: Cyber Monday, Coupon Code, & Ebates

Today is Cyber Monday, the internets version of Black Friday. I must admit the deals look better to me and best of all, no crowds. The deals are popping up fast. hip 2 save, maven of savin, my frugal adventures and the coupon project all have several great posts of Cyber Monday deals.

Here are the secrets for shopping online:
1) You must sign up for ebates. This is an online rebate system that send you cash back on percentages of your total purchase price, anywhere from 3 to 20%. Almost every online store in on their site. You must go through their page first, but other than that it is super easy. Simply log on to ebates, then find the store you want on their list, click on it, and shop as usual. Ebates will credit your account for your rebate amount. Today is a great time to sign up, because they are offering additional promotions to new members and lots of stores have double ebate rewards today (like 10% instead of 5%).

2) Always look for a coupon code for your store. You might get free shipping, an extra percentage off, or a free gift. You can google it, but my favorite is retail me not because it wades through the spam for you and just gives you legitimate codes.

Check out this deal to practice these two secrets. (Yes, you can practice, just don't fill in your credit card!)
1) Go to ebates and find Victoria's Secret (VS purchase earn you 6% back).
2) Choose 3 of the 3/$30 sweaters.
3) Add one "free" scarf
4) Go to checkout
and enter codes:
vssave20 (20% off single clothing item)
scarf09 (free scarf)
3for30 (3 sweaters for $30)
5) Your total should drop to $30.99, great deal!

Now you have one more secret in your arsenal. Please don't ever pay full price online again.

Store Secrets: Black Friday

It is almost here: Black Friday! I love this day, not because I love pushing people, crowds, and getting up at 4:00 am. It is more about a tradition of shopping and starting the holiday season. I am not a camp outer, I usually will make it to the stores about 8:00 am. I like to just spend the day with my girlfriends and sisters/mom (if I am that lucky) out shopping. I am only going to go to the stores in my town, which aren't many. Look tomorrow for the deals and some links to help you get started. Make sure you get a paper EARLY tomorrow so you can scan the ads during the football games. If you want a sneak peak, here are the scans of the ads for most stores.

*A little caution though, Black Friday is the KING of loss leaders. Cheap TVs, computers, etc...to get you in the door and spend more. There are usually limited amounts of these products, so don't be tempted to buy something (you don't need) just because you are there. It is always good to have a plan and a list! :)

So now I am thinking of a little contest. Leave a comment about one Black Friday deal you found or did find. I will randomly draw a winner and that winner will receive one set of coupon inserts. The contest is open until Sunday at midnight.

Happy Shopping and Thanksgiving!

Store Secrets: letter/emails

Have you ever tried writing letters or these days emails to companies? I recently wrote to Kimberly Clark (Huggies) because my big box of diapers didn't have the advertised $25 coupon book in it and guess what a week later I got lots and lots of coupons in the mail. Also, my kids recently got a Lincoln Logs set with a broken piece. I emailed the company and a couple of weeks later got the replacement right in my mailbox. It works!

I have read a couple of posts recently about writing emails to companies that have products you love to get coupons. I really haven't tried this, but after this list I might. Read the post here and tell me what you think.

coupon email list

Store Secrets: Walmart (dot com)

Anybody that knows me well, knows I do not shop at WalMart very often. I don't like how crowded the store is and it is a huge spending trap. Yes, a bunch of "cheap" stuff still equals a lot! I do however love walmart.com. One of the best features is their FREE SAMPLES. They always have several different ones available. They also rotate them frequently and often the samples come with high value coupons. Right now in fact, there are samples of both Huggies and Pampers available, also Garnier and Prilosec. Click here now to check them out. Be sure to check back often for new freebies too.

Store Secrets: Staples Ink

I love Staples! They often have free or cheap after rebate items. Plus their rewards card, which sends you a rebate coupon on your total purchase amount every quarter. The best part of all though, is their ink cartridge recycling program. Just bring in any empty (I mean any...even that old one from the mid 1990s...) and they will credit your account for $3 each. Sometimes they even run promotions where they credit you for $5 each. My Staples usually lets me turn in 3 cartridges at a time. Then at the end of each quarter, they mail you a coupon check for the amount. I usually use mine to buy what else, more ink! This is a great program, especially since you are using lots of ink to print coupons, right? Now you know another store secret: that was easy :)

Store Secrets: Kid Cones

We are still not 100% healthy here. I haven't been shopping in over a week now, so no pics to share. I guess that is not totally true, I went to the corner store for milk...I am not sure which was worse, how I looked, how I felt, or how much I paid for two gallons of milk. But anyway, here is your store secret for this week.


I just discovered this one day and it has been a lifesaver. McDonalds kids' cones! Sometimes they charge me a nickel a piece, but most of the time they are totally free! I usually buy a drink off the dollar menu so I don't feel so cheap and hey mom needs a treat too! Besides the price, I love these because they are small enough for a quick snack (even for my one year old), they are not too messy because they are small enough to eat fast (plus they give you tons of napkins and wet naps on request) and so convenient (drive-up window). Now you have a little leverage for dealing with you clan at the store, kid cones! Thanks McDonalds!

Store Secrets: Card Carrying Member

It seems like every store wants you to get their card these days. (I am not talking about their credit cards either.) I was curious what cards I was carrying and here are my results:
*MasterCuts (10 haircuts get one free)
*Hallmark (coupon in the mail when you spend so much)
*Sears Portrait Studio (free sitting fee, free 8 x 10)
*Maurices Take Ten (spend $250 get $10 coupon-not a very good one...)
*Safeway Club (get club card prices, tracks purchases for Catalinas, gas rewards, coupon mailers)
*Macys (this one is a credit card, but I get special coupons and 2.5% back on what I spend and yes, I pay it off each month)
*Pet Co (coupon mailers)
*Staples (rebate coupons and ink recycle program)
*Borders Rewards (coupon mailers)
*Albertsons (coupon mailers, get preferred card price, tracks purchases for catalinas, gas rewards)
*Fred Meyer (rebate rewards based on purchases).

Some of these have more benefits than others obviously, but my point is they are good sources for coupons and rebates. If you are not signed up, take the extra couple of minutes next time and see the benefits for yourself, just make sure you are getting the club card and not the credit card. I am going to tell you about my "go to" store now: Fred Meyer. The reason why is it is close and they give me a rebate (a small one) on everything I buy there. So, if I am out of something or need basics, it is a good place to stock up. Here is another secret: every couponer has basics stock up trips, they have to, you can't live on cheap peanut butter and ketchup :) They will just probably never tell you about them on their blogs. I bet their husband also sometimes stops at the store and shops (gasp) without coupons (double gasp). And I am sure they run out of milk or need cupcakes for school tomorrow sometimes too. I try to be realistic about it. I try to stay in a loose budget and save money, but I don't get too upset if I spend a little more than I had planned because I am still way under what I was spending a year or two ago.
Lastly, here is an example of using some of the coupon mailers that Fred Meyer sends out quarterly. I had 20% off shoes, which I used for my husband. $2 off a $2 or more school supply purchase. I got these pencils, which my daughter needed for homework for .19. Also, $2 off a $5 beauty purchase, I bought CoverGirl for $5.49, used with $1 off manufacturer's coupon, and an instore coupon (free mascara with any Cover Girl purchase) to get both items for $2.49. These are all things we needed, but because I had my Rewards card, I was able to earn rewards and get them for cheaper. Do you take advantage of the club cards?

Store Secrets: B1G1

B1G1 or BOGO means buy one get one free. These sales in and of themselves, might not be great deals. This is a merchandise clearing strategy used by stores to move stuff fast. If the items were marked as 1/2 price, people would probably only take one, but since it is buy one get one free (even though it is really like 1/2 price) people will take two, thus reducing the inventory. Be careful though because sometimes the price is hiked up before the sale, so it is not that great of deal.

BUT, you use coupons now...so buy one get one sales mean a whole different thing for you! You have two great options to make these work for you. First, think of it like you are buying two products, (ie..two at 1/2 price) because you are buying two products. So you can use two coupons. For example, an item is marked B1G1, priced at $2.99, but you have two manufacturers coupons for $1, so you get to use two coupons and get both items for $.99.

Another way to score on B1G1 coupons is to use a B1G1 coupon when an item is on sale at B1G1, so then you end up with two free items! Most stores will do these deals for you, but if you have any questions, just as their customer service desk. Don't try and be sneaky or work the system, but these coupons can be real money savers. Now you know another store secret:B1G1 (or two) free!

Store Secrets: Rain Checks

Last night, I finally got to look over my Albertsons ad and it is a good one. I am so sad that Albertsons will soon be bought out in Utah, because they have such great deals. I like to share them with you. In addition to the Quaker promo, there is another great promo. It is spend $10 get $3 off instantly. These are before coupons prices, so it is very easy to get down to just a dollar or two for $10 worth of items. Please look over this matchup list courtesy of pinching your pennies. PYP is a great resource for sale information. It can be a little tricky to follow everything on their "forums", but I love their coupon lists. It says "Utah" but everything should be pretty much the same for the entire Northwest.

So, now for the secret. With great sales like this, the shelves are often empty when you get there. What do you do now? Ask an employee if they have any more in the back or another part of the store, but if they don't get a rain check. Albertsons is great at giving these out, just ask your cashier as you check out. A rain check will honor the sale price after the sale. You can still use your coupons and get the great deals you were going to get. You have 30 days from when it was issued to redeem it.

Here is a rain check I got two days ago, just so you know what they look like. I have a feeling I will probably be getting another one for oatmeal, last year, they were all gone early. I know a lot of stores do this if they are out of stock, it never hurts to ask. So now you know another secret: take a rain check.

Loss Leader

Tuesday is grocery ad day. I don't know why grocery sales run Wednesday to Tuesday, while superstore and drugstore run Sunday to Saturday, but that is how it is. However, all ads have what is called a "loss leader." The loss leader is the really, really good deal or two that gets you to come in the store. It is usually the largest, (leader) on the front page of the ad. The store might even be losing money on this deal. Thus the title, loss leader. The loss leader gets you through the door in the hopes that you spend more money on other items. The trick is outsmarting the loss leader. Lots of people come in and buy the loss leader item with several other things, but very few people come in and just buy the loss leader or just a few things with it. Have you ever been fooled by the loss leader? Well, now you know another store secret.

I heart Rite Aid

I have always loved drug stores. Maybe it was because the drug store in my hometown had an eat-in lunch counter complete with twisty bar stools. Maybe it is because I fell in love with the Walgreens around the corner while we were in graduate school. Or maybe, just maybe it is because Rite Aid pays me to shop there...hmmm, probably all three. Drug stores are awesome! They combine the best of convenience stores and super centers, without the drawbacks of super centers and convenience stores. It is also a great place to coupon shop. Even if you don't have a Rite Aid in your small town (and I also heart small towns), it might be to your advantage to visit Rite Aid when you go to the big city.

Rite Aid has a program called Single Check Rebates. Every month they put out a rebate catalog of 100+ items that have full price or partial price rebates. They also frequently have coupons or free gift packs you can earn. These rebate item are combined with sales to make great deals. It is a simple rebate system. You simply sign up at http://www.riteaid.com/ under the Single Check Rebate section. Then after you shop, enter three numbers off your receipt and you are done. At the end of the month, simply log in and request your check and it will arrive in your mailbox. You don't have to mess with UPC codes, receipts, or the post office. I get my check, cash it, and use the money to earn more rebates. Recycling money, now that is smart shopping.

Best of all, the rebates can be combined with coupons. Rite Aid also frequently has $5 off $25 purchase coupons that you can print out and use. Also http://www.iheartriteaid.com/ shows you the weekly ads so you can see what is the best week to buy a certain product. Watch for the next post, which will be the Rite Aid Diaper Deal I have been talking about. Step by step instructions to follow.