Bad News ~ My CVS Experience this week

I feel the need to share this with all you ladies who have been shopping the CVS deals with me all these months. The deals weren't great this week, but there were a few things I went to get. I had with me my $2/$10 coupons, a $4/$20 that printed out at the register last week, and a stack of ECBs. I had mapped out my shopping trip on 3x5 cards like I do every week (each transaction gets it's own card. On that card I write which items I am purchasing [and how many], how much it is if I know, and how many ECBs it should generate. I also include a list of the coupons [in order of use] I will use for that transaction.)

After picking up everything I had gone for (except the vial of Tylenol, that was out of stock) I waited in line behind a man who was unhappy and struggling with the cashier (a cashier I have found pleasant in all my dealings with him). I overheard mention of coupon problems and a new policy. "Hmmm... I wonder what they mean by new policy," I thought to myself.

When it was my turn I asked about it. I was pleasant (trying to give the poor cashier a more pleasant transaction than the one I had just witnessed) and simply asked my questions... assuring him that I simply wanted to know so I could do it right in the future. I, too, required the help of the manager as we walked through my transactions.

So here is the scoop... apparently they are no longer letting you stack CVS coupons as they did before. If you want to use a CVS $4/$20 coupon and a CVS $2/$10 coupon in the same transaction, you must be purchasing at least $30 worth of products! (This seems to apply to printed Internet coupons and printed receipt coupons together.) Does that make sense? Apparently CVS has noticed that they are loosing money and jobs are at stake here. The computers will no longer do it for you.

Unfortunately the CVS workers felt the need to blame us (the consumer) for the whole thing. They kept clarifying that if we would just use the coupons the way they say to use them we will be fine. I checked my $2/$10 coupon when I got home and noticed that it simply says "Limit one coupon per customer." Our understanding until now is that if the code is different, another CVS coupon should be fine. That is obviously no longer true. They also pointed out to me that they can "no longer just take everything we give them like they used to" (implying that we are trying to slip something past them). I chose not to point out that it is the computers job to double check things like that (or I didn't think of it until later... I'm not good in confrontational moments). Regardless... the computer is doing it's job now.

Does this mean deals at CVS are no longer any good? I don't think so. We certainly won't be able to save as much as we were, but I think we can still live frugally before the Lord with the opportunities he helps us to find.

Have any of you had similar situations with this? I would love to know!

Labels: As God Provides, As it happens...

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 12:01 PM