Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I thought you said no more Rite Aid...

... And I thought I did, but I got this email from someone from Rite Aid. After picking my jaw up from the floor (I'm important enough to get an email from Rite Aid???), I thought I'd share it with my readers. I'm not sure if this changes my mind about some of the reasons for axing Rite Aid, but there's nothing like personal service, right?


Hi,

I’m just now reading you April 5 post on Rite Aid (I follow Tara’s blog at Deal Seeking Mom on the weekends).

I’m sorry if you’ve experienced trouble with any of our saving programs, but specifically the Single Check Rebate. While many of our loyal shoppers appreciate the upsides of getting money that you can spend wherever, I can see your points about it taking longer.

Perhaps you’d like to try our new wellness+ program before swearing us off altogether? It’s a point-of-sale-based system that gives you rewards right on your receipts (usually generally themed coupons, such as a couple of bucks off of sun/skin care products in summer or cold/flu in winter. Your circular will also begin changing to offer more deals for members.

Anyway, please forgive the intrusion via e-mail, but I wanted to make you aware of the new program, since I think it has many of the aspects you found lacking in Single Check Rebate (which is continuing, too).

The release contains more information in case you or your readers would be interested.

Sincerely,

Eric *************
Public Relations
Rite Aid Corporation


Rite Aid Launches Free wellness+ Customer Rewards Program Nationwide, Offering Health and Wellness Benefits and Member-Only Discounts

Drugstore Industry’s Only Customer Rewards Program Focused Around Pharmacy and Wellness Offers Immediate Everyday Benefits Including 24/7 Toll-Free Access to a Pharmacist

Customers Accrue Points with Eligible Rite Aid Pharmacy and Store Purchases to Get Free Health Screenings and Additional Merchandise Discounts

Top Tier Members Earn 20 Percent Off Non-Prescription Regularly Priced Merchandise Every Day

CAMP HILL, PA (April 19, 2010) – Rite Aid customers and patients nationwide now can sign up for Rite Aid’s new wellness+ customer rewards program that provides members with free health and wellness benefits, as well as shopping discounts and special prices. The program will be supported by a national television, radio, circular and digital advertising campaign.

The free Rite Aid wellness+ rewards card offers immediate everyday benefits including 24/7 toll-free access to a pharmacist and 10 percent off Rite Aid brand products. Member-only discounts are listed each week in Rite Aid's weekly newspaper circulars, and there are special member-only temporary price reductions and offers on register receipts, via e-mail and online.

Members accrue points with eligible pharmacy and store purchases to get free health screenings and additional merchandise discounts including 20 percent off non-prescription regularly priced items every day. Members' wellness+ points are tracked automatically, and a tiered benefits structure combines health and wellness rewards with savings rewards.

Customers can sign up for the new Rite Aid wellness+ rewards card, which requires no membership fee, at any of Rite Aid's nearly 4,800 stores and get a card to use immediately. They also can sign up online at www.riteaid.com and print a temporary card for immediate use. A coupon for $5 off the member's next $25 purchase is available when members set up their wellness+ account online at www.riteaid.com, which allows them to manage their benefits including how many points they have accrued.

Customers also can call 1-800-RITEAID to apply for the wellness+ program, and the account will be activated in 24 hours. Once the card is activated, members can use their phone number at the store to obtain the immediate 10 percent discount on Rite Aid brand products and other special price reductions until they receive their wellness+ card in the mail.

Members receive both a wallet-sized wellness+ membership card and smaller version for their key chains. They can always use their phone number at any Rite Aid store if they forget their card.

Family members 13 years of age and older can sign up for separate wellness+ accounts if they want to accrue individual points toward the free health screenings.

One of the program’s key benefits is 24/7 toll-free access to a pharmacist, simply by calling 1-800-RITEAID. This toll-free number can be called at any time to ask simple questions about anything – medication interactions, diabetes care or even allergies, which are particularly bad right now for many people and are the focus of Rite Aid's health and wellness program in April and May.

"Our customers told us they wanted a program that offered more than just discounts. The wellness+ program marries our customers' fiscal and physical well-being, and we reward them with both member-only shopping discounts and health and wellness benefits that increase the more they shop and the more prescriptions they fill at Rite Aid," said John Learish, Rite Aid Senior Vice President, Marketing. "We've tested this program in four markets over the last six months, and results exceeded our expectations. This is the drugstore industry’s only customer rewards program focused around pharmacy and wellness."

Members earn one point for every dollar spent on non-prescription store purchases and 25 points for every eligible prescription they fill at Rite Aid. (Prescriptions paid for in whole or in part by state or federal healthcare programs such as Medicare or Medicaid and prescriptions filled in New York and New Jersey are not eligible by law for accrual of points.

At 125, 250 and 375 points, members will receive a one-time-use shopping pass via e-mail or mail good for 10 percent off any non-prescription regularly priced purchases.

When customers earn 500 points, they’ll receive 10 percent off all non-prescription regularly priced items every day at Rite Aid. They’ll also get a certificate for free health screenings – blood glucose and total cholesterol screenings at a local lab – and they can pick up their test results at their local Rite Aid.

When members earn 1,000 points, they’ll receive 20 percent off all non-prescription regularly priced Rite Aid purchases every day.

Program rules can be found in-store and at www.riteaid.com, including purchases that are excluded from point accrual and discounts such as cigarettes, alcohol, gift cards, online purchases, lottery tickets, licenses, money orders and transfers, prepaid cards, stamps, other mail services and items prohibited by law.

Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation’s leading drugstore chains with nearly 4,800 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia with fiscal 2010 annual sales of more than $25.7 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through Rite Aid’s Web site at www.riteaid.com.

###


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the recipient(s) named above. If you are not an intended recipient, you
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This e-mail expresses views only of the sender, which are not to be
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without this statement.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

CVS: OOP: $2.22/Saved: $13

I kept it very simple this week, but did fairly well I think.
Schick Quatro for Women $8.99 (saved $1)
(used $4/1 coupon ~ received $4EB)
2 CVS Brand Sunscreen $2.39 each
(received $5 EB for buying 2 CVS Sunscreens)

Plus: $1, $2, $5EB

Total OOP: $2.22
Total Savings: $13 (Sale and Coupon and EB)
EB Earned: $4, $5 (see above)
Bolded Items: to be donated


Total CVS spending YTD: $90.10
Total CVS savings YTD: $429.45
Spring 2010 Spending (from receipt): $20.53

I wasn't sure if the Sunscreen deal was going to work, but it did! On the advertisement it said something about a price range that would work and the 2 oz sunscreens weren't in that range. But I listened to Deal Seeking Mom and Money Saving Mom and it worked out in the end!

Stuff I've Won Recently!

Seventh Generation Disinfecting Cleaning Kit from It's Frugal Being Green
$5 Amazon Giftcard from Saving Cents in the City
$5 Amazon Giftcard from Redemption Unlimited
I'm also up to $30 in Amazon Giftcards on Swagbucks and about to request $5 more... I guess it's time to start thinking about what I want to buy on Amazon...

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Free Sample Requested

Green Genius Trash Bags (they biodegrade!)

Rite Aid

I am brilliant! After I wrote about cutting Rite Aid from the shopping list, I saw this article on Deal Seeking Mom about it possibly going bankrupt. It might have just cut itself from my list without me even doing it. Win?

Monday, April 19, 2010

CVS: OOP $7.26/Saved $36.48// OOP $1.04/Saved .50

Once again, I did 2 transactions this week. This was because of the EB that didn't print last week. I wanted to use the EB for my larger purchase to save more money. Luckily $4.50 of EB from the first quarter printed out this time!Transaction 1:
Dove Soap $.99 (saved .50)

Total OOP: $1.04 (safter taxes)
Total Savings: $.50 (Sale)
EB Earned: $4.50 (see above)

Transaction 2:
York Peppermint Patties $3 (saved $.99)
Hershey's Miniatures $3 (saved $.99)
Hershey's Kisses $4 (saved $2.49)
(used $1/3 Hershey's candies ~ received $5 EB for buying $10 of Hershey's candy)
Method Detergent $5.99 (saved $3)
(plus $2/1 coupon)
2 Dove Soap $.99ea (saved .50ea)
Crest Pro $1.88 (saved $2.01)
(used $1.50/1 coupon)
Colgate Pro $3.99 (save $1)
(used $1/1 coupon ~ recieved $2EB)
Advil $3.99 (saved $1.50)
(used $2/1 coupon ~ received $1EB)
CVS Heatwrap $2.29 (*see below)

Plus: $5/$30 coupon, $2, $4.50, $4.50EB

Total OOP: $7.26
Total Savings: $36.48 (Sale and Coupon and EB)
EB Earned: $1, $2, $5 (see above)
Bolded Items: to be donated


Total CVS spending YTD: $87.88
Total CVS savings YTD: $416.45
Spring 2010 Spending (from receipt): $12.23

*I was really stupid and meant to buy the Thermacare heatwrap for $2.49 with $2.49EB instead of the CVS brand one. I didn't look carefully at the display and grabbed the wrong one. Totally my fault and I feel stupid for doing this! Word to the wise... be more careful in checking products vs. circulars and coupons.

Freebies Arrived

U by Kotex ~ included a pad, tampon, liner and $1/1 U by Kotex coupon
And they were all such bright, pretty colors!

Monday, April 12, 2010

CVS: OOP: $2.42/Saved: $12.19 // OOP: $2.41/Saved $8.49

I went to 2 CVS loctions today because the first didn't have two of the items I wanted to purchase... hence the 2 transactions, something I've never done before. I rolled the EB from the first transaction into the second transaction. The items on the left are from the 1st transaction and the items on the left are from the second:Transaction 1:
Toilet Paper .50 (Saved .65)
(used $1/1 coupon from scanner)
Dove Shampoo $4.49
(used $1/1 coupon ~ received $4.49 EB)
Absolutely Divine Chocolate $1.99
(got a coupon for a free one from the scanner)
Draino $6.49
(used .55 coupon)

Plus: $2, $5 EB

Total OOP: $2.49
Total Savings: $12.49 (Sale and Coupon and EB)
EB Earned: $4.49 (see above), $1 for green bag tag
Bolded Items: to be donated


Transaction 2:
Dial Boady Wash $5.49
(used $1/1 coupon, received $4.50EB)
Colgate Pro Clincal $3.99 (saved $1)
(used $1/1 coupon, received $2 EB)

Plus $1, $4.49EB

Total OOP: $2.41
Total Savings: $8.49 (Sale and Coupon and EB)
EB Earned: $2, $4.50 (see above)
Bolded Items: to be donated



Total CVS spending YTD: $79.58
Total CVS savings YTD: $379.47
Spring 2010 Spending (from receipt): $7.40

I was a little pissed because this was the first stop at CVS in April and I didn't get my first quarter EB which were supposed to print starting April 1. The helpful people at the store told me to call the CVS hotline and they apparently "reset" my quarterly EB. I should be getting them the next time I stop at CVS *crosses fingers*.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Donating!

I think quarterly or so I'm going to donate the free and super cheap stuff I've gotten that I don't plan on using. I am running out of storage space in my apartment and my synagogue is collecting items right now, so it's perfect timing! Here it is:

The count:
10 soaps/body washes/shampoo
6 sticks of deodorant
6 tubes of toothpaste
5 boxes of rice products
5 lip moisturizers
4 packages of maxi pads
2 boxes of cereal
2 containers of dental floss

and 10 items that don't fit neatly in any category.

What a mitzvah (a good deed) to donate all of this stuff and it was so easy! I hope all of these items are useful for someone in need.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Freebie Requested

Chavrie Goat Cheese (coupon for free cheese) ~ will arrive in 6-8 weeks

No More Rite Aid

I've decided to cut Rite Aid off the list. Here are the reasons why:

(1) I hate Single Check Rebates
-There are too many steps involved
-They send you a check for all of the SCR that you've submitted for the entire month which I'm pretty sure you have to use in one transaction (very clunky)
-It takes too long to receive the rebates
-They are just counting on you forgetting to do one of the steps so they don't have to give you the SCR

(2) CVS is better
-EB are instant
-There are more locations near me
-I get way more stuff for free there

(3) It's easier to just go to one drug store/look at one ad or blog
-cuts down on time, clutter

Friday, April 2, 2010

Freebie Requested

More U by Kotex (will arrive in up to 4 weeks)

Will never pay for period supplies again! Win.