I ran four very quick transactions, each one consisting of: 1 Gillette Fusion razor ($4 July PG); 2 Gillette deodorants (BOGO 5/15 rp & $1 July PG); 2 Gillette body wash (BOGO July PG & $2 5/15 rp); Sobe Lifewater (.99 RR from Icy Hot). I took two of the Fusion Smooth Comfort Packs as my razor selection – original shelf price is $13.89, so much more valuable.
Each transaction ran $16.82 (asst mgr immediately started rechecking the coupons, assuming she had somehow screwed up if I was paying that much!). Got back $15.99 in RRs ($10 from Gillette spend $30 get back $10; $5 from razor; .99 from Sobe.
I’m still trying to decide if it is worth driving the 25 minutes to go to a Wags that would be patient with me (I”m in North Aurora). I keep seeing all these great deals… I have the coupons for & the time to do it. However, I’ve just had bad experiences and I just don’t want the cashier to give me dirty looks or attitude (is that so much to ask lol). I feel as though all of my coupons are going to waste 🙁
You are kidding, right? Has anyone ever made a comment about dirty looks or snarky comments or eye-rolling or sighing…you know what I’m talking about. Or the ever-popular “Well, I’ll do it this time.” from any of our stores? The Wags who want our business appreciate us and go out of their way to accommodate our special orders and schedule pick up times convenient to us. Somewhere along the line, most stores forgot who was actually responsible for the bottom line.
I’m sure if I wasn’t so new to using coupons.. it wouldn’t bother me so much (Probably would knowing me lol). I think my Sunday’s would be a lot easier if I actually just drive to a Walgreen’s that would want my business 🙂
Also, how does special orders work? Do you go in and make the special order or call? The one in Oswego (From your other post) is somewhat near my work. Might work… plus a co-worker lives there and we could coupon together lol 🙂 Any tips would be great (Such as limits on orders/transactions/common courtesy)
I can only tell you about special orders in the stores we currently use; if another store has a weird way of doing things (note my bias here), you’re on your own!
The first time you place a special order, it’s smart to place it in person. That way the mgr meets you face-to-face, he/she knows you are a legitimate buyer and not someone who’s gonna stiff ’em. btw, if you don’t pick up a special order, your name gets put on an unofficial black list and shared – this is definitely not the way to go. If something happens (dog eats coupons, etc.), call as soon as you realize that you won’t be picking up the order and let the store know. This gives them plenty of time to call other people who perhaps didn’t place their orders in time.
but i digress…on common courtesy, it’s really simple: make the transactions go as smoothly as possible and you will always be welcome. If you are running 100 RR deals, take a break if you see that there’s a line forming behind you. If the cashier has to go to the john, LET HER! Not being a hardass is the easiest way to have the store manager say that he/she loves having couponers come in because they’re considerate of other shoppers and always pick up their orders when arranged.
If I only lived 25 min. I would totally do it! vs. the 1 hr. to 1 hr. 15 min. drive time…I envy you!
try the Montgomery store at 30/34 in front of the Menards…they too are coupon(er) friendly
I, for one, can say that it is SO WORTH IT to drive to one of the coupon-friendly WAGS! I just tripped up to Wheaton myself this weekend for a few items….I love Wheaton and Lisle Wags – I haven’t tried the other one(s) yet…
When do you have to place special orders? I’m new and sometimes get my coupons messed up (Not on purpose I promise… not trying to cheat the system). Just today I accidentally tried to use a $1/1 coupon on an item that beeped… when I should have used a $3/1 coupon (I don’t know why I didn’t notice that). Would probably be best for me to do the transaction on a Sunday morning and then special order additional items. I would hate to special order items and not have the right coupon to match… I don’t want to be on a black list. Would that be soon enough or would I need to plan ahead earlier?
By the way, great trip 🙂 Thanks for all of your posts and being so helpful!