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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