Can someone explain CVSing - I dont get it!

[tngramma]

I do Rite Aid too. Their deals weren't very good this week either, but I hear the first week in August is going to be a doozy! When CVS has a good week, I need to go a dozen times. I like that with Rite Aid I can just go once or twice and be done with it. BUT, it stinks putting out the money up front.....Rite Aid definitely does go in spurts too though!

I know you do and I hope you keep up the RA thread here on Dis. CVS is easy for me now but I really need help working my way through RA.

I still get a lot of free stuff from CVS. I don't need the 4/20 to break even. I do miss the days when I could add milk to my order and still pay nothing oop. Some people got an email just this week (sadly, not I). Oh, and I get lots of free stuff from the RX gift cards. As long as they offer those I will stay with CVS.

Right now:
Loreal Vive is free when you combine coupon w/B1G1 store offer & B1G1 coupon (at both CVS and Walgreen's). Get a rain check if they are oos and then you can order the coupons somewhere

Next week:
Lifesaver deal (candy deal) buy $10 get $5. Life savers B1G1 plus B1G1 coupon. Should be $ maker.
Shick Intuition Razor free after $4 coupon.

Aug 3- Pert Plus free w/coupons, Poweraid Free w/coupon, Sure deoderant free w/B1G1 coupon.

I only make notes on the things I actually want. I do not do a deal just because it is free, I even skip a $ maker sometimes. Anyhow CVS is not the easy money it used to be, but it is far from dead. And yes, it comes in spurts or cycles, just like the grocery store deals. I think some people miss the free items that do not generate ECB. The ECB deals have been slim, but I am still finding enough free's to make it worth the time.

This may come back to bite me on the butt however it seems HCW always has a rumor circulating about one thing or the other about CVS. So far none of those have come true (knock on wood).

There surely are not as many ECB deals recently but I am still having a so much fun with my hobby...CVSing.

And BTW I buy things whether I need them or not if they are free or almost free. Somebody will use them.

 

[Kycha]

The word on some of the other boards I visit is that the CVS bonanza may be over. For the first time in years there is not a valid dollars off coupon available. Those dollars off coupons was the real deal maker for me because my store let me stack them. I'd typically use a $10/50, $5/30, $4/20 and $3/15 all in one transaction, now there aren't any out there at all. Even the $4/20 coupons they used to send for updating your e-mail address with extracare they no longer send. Boo Oh well it ahd to end sometime.

I have only been CVS'ing for a couple months so I don't know. But, where would you guys get access to all those coupons? Since I have been doing this, there have only been two "all access" x/xx coupons. And both of those were from newspapers. Is that where they always came from?

Anyway, I feel I have to apologize to you all. It is all my fault that the x/xx have dried up. As soon as I start something, all the good stuff ends. So, sorry guys. Murphy's law, ya know.

 

[LanaJae]

I have only been CVS'ing for a couple months so I don't know. But, where would you guys get access to all those coupons? Since I have been doing this, there have only been two "all access" x/xx coupons. And both of those were from newspapers. Is that where they always came from?

Anyway, I feel I have to apologize to you all. It is all my fault that the x/xx have dried up. As soon as I start something, all the good stuff ends. So, sorry guys. Murphy's law, ya know.

You can't take the blame

The $/$$ online coupons died in January/February. The email $4/20 and email update $4/20 continued for awhile after that.

How it used to work would be that everyone who signed up for emails would get a $/$$ coupon in email based on their purchase history - some would get $5/30, some would get $10/50 and some would get $15/75. The links would be posted so that anyone could choose what they wanted to use. Also, there'd be several $4/20 links for email/updating. Some people would spend $75 and use all of those coupons, plus several $4/20's. If the codes were different, some stores would take them all. Online it was called superstacking.

The biggest story was that some stores in Indiana got wiped out in late December. Apparently there was a woman who sent out an email to all her friends at the hospital where she worked and then stood at the door of a CVS and handed out piles of $/$$ coupons with instructions on how to get $75+ worth of items for $1-2. Two or three stores had to be shut down for a few days after that.

A few things led up to that - CVS put out a coupon right before Christmas for $5 off Energizer batteries and they were $5.29 at the time (plus $5 ECBs when you spent $15). This brought in TONS of people who never shopped at CVS before. Many stores were being cleaned out because of that coupon and superstacking $/$$ coupons (think of taking an instant $45 off a $75 purchase before adding in mfg. coupons and CVS coupons).

Also, there were small independently-owned convenience stores that were hauling in 10-15 relatives with a card (even children) and buying up free-after-ECB items for resale. "Limit one per household" started because of that. The metal-backed stickers on some products are also from those situations.

Many quit CVSing when the coupons dried up and the ones who are left are those who can put great deals together with mfg. coupons and sales. Getting a rare newspaper $/$$ is just a bonus. Some people are still getting $/$$ coupons on their receipts and from the scanners, and in email. HCW tried to figure out the reason why some people didn't get coupons in email anymore and it seems to be a combination of length of shopping and the year-to-date savings.

 

[Kycha]

You can't take the blame

The $/$$ online coupons died in January/February. The email $4/20 and email update $4/20 continued for awhile after that.

How it used to work would be that everyone who signed up for emails would get a $/$$ coupon in email based on their purchase history - some would get $5/30, some would get $10/50 and some would get $15/75. The links would be posted so that anyone could choose what they wanted to use. Also, there'd be several $4/20 links for email/updating. Some people would spend $75 and use all of those coupons, plus several $4/20's. If the codes were different, some stores would take them all. Online it was called superstacking.

The biggest story was that some stores in Indiana got wiped out in late December. Apparently there was a woman who sent out an email to all her friends at the hospital where she worked and then stood at the door of a CVS and handed out piles of $/$$ coupons with instructions on how to get $75+ worth of items for $1-2. Two or three stores had to be shut down for a few days after that.

A few things led up to that - CVS put out a coupon right before Christmas for $5 off Energizer batteries and they were $5.29 at the time (plus $5 ECBs when you spent $15). This brought in TONS of people who never shopped at CVS before. Many stores were being cleaned out because of that coupon and superstacking $/$$ coupons (think of taking an instant $45 off a $75 purchase before adding in mfg. coupons and CVS coupons).

Also, there were small independently-owned convenience stores that were hauling in 10-15 relatives with a card (even children) and buying up free-after-ECB items for resale. "Limit one per household" started because of that. The metal-backed stickers on some products are also from those situations.

Many quit CVSing when the coupons dried up and the ones who are left are those who can put great deals together with mfg. coupons and sales. Getting a rare newspaper $/$$ is just a bonus. Some people are still getting $/$$ coupons on their receipts and from the scanners, and in email. HCW tried to figure out the reason why some people didn't get coupons in email anymore and it seems to be a combination of length of shopping and the year-to-date savings.

Thanks LanaJae! Now I feel better that it's not my fault. Wow! I can't believe what some people will do. Of course, now the rest of us suffer because of a few people's actions. Talk about abusing the system. But, you are right. It is still possible to get really good deals using manu coupons and sales. At least I haven't had any problems. And you guys have certainly been a great resource. So, Thanks!