Walgreens -is there a "policy" on adjusting a coupon down?

[pnault17]

Yep, I'm talking about the Ecotrin IP.

The last time I tried it, the cashier flatly refused. I was unimpressed enough with her attitude to just quietly leave the store without buying ANYTHING. :ugh:

I don't want to fight with these people.

Does anyone know what the "official" guideline is from Walgreens?

I'm going to email them, but I don't expect much. :shrug7:

Stinks, too. I've been doing MUCH better at target lately.

[gem7]

Had this happen to me before with the Kids Boost that was on sale for $4.99 and had a coupon for $5. She would not adjust the price of the product or the coupon and told me I couldn't use it. I went later and the manager had no problem adjusting it for me. I will never understand why the cashiers never follow the policies that their managers do.

[pnault17]

Oy. Late night does something bad to me. I just sent the following in a contact form. :cuckoo:

I would like to know if there is an official policy on coupon use.

There is a perfect example this week: the Ecotrin that is $2.00. There is a manufacturer's coupon for $2.25 off any Ecotrin. I attempted to purchase the product with this coupon, and the cashier refused to even scan it because it exceeded the value of the item. When I asked her to adjust the coupon down to match the value of the item, she flatly refused. Another time, a cashier refused to let me use more than one Register Rewards coupon in a single transaction, despite the fact that the number of items exceeded the number of coupons. Offering a reward coupon and then denying the redemption of that reward is very bad business, in my opinion.

I use coupons in all my shopping, and I work hard to obey the laws in regards to coupons. It frustrates me to receive a different "policy" from every employee I ask. Even the managers I've spoken to were badly misinformed as to the workings of catalina coupons, stating that I would not receive a register reward if I used a manufacturer coupon on the initial purchase.

I like Walgreens as a brand. I work hard to stay within my budget, and it is a waste of my time and effort to walk into a Walgreens store, select my items, and be told by the cashier that they won’t accept a legitimate coupon “because”.

If there is a policy that Walgreens wants consumers to follow, it needs to be published.

I speak to many people on a daily basis, and most of the people who have had an opinion on Walgreens share my frustration. Some simply don’t shop there anymore. Walgreens is losing business over this issue.

I will continue to shop there occasionally, because there is a small store very close to my home, and the employees there are so friendly and helpful. But I find that they are the exception, rather than the rule.

I would appreciate any information you can offer regarding a company coupon policy, and I urge you to make some necessary changes in regards to coupons and the shoppers who use them. The employees need to be educated on how to identify common internet coupons, what “transactions” are verses “purchases”, and what to do when a coupon exceeds the value of an item. I understand the need to prevent fraud, but the attitude that “all coupons are bad” tells legitimate couponers that Walgreens doesn’t want their business.

In this economic climate, I doubt that's the case.

WAY too wordy. Too late now.

[baxter_woman75]

wal greens is idiots when it comes to coupons, they will in NO shape fashion or manner adust a stupid coupon, no not even for a penny, I have left buggys full of stuff for them to put up before over this crap.

[Mikki 316]

Wow, that's a big generalization..........
BTW, your e-mail is nicely worded, OP. I hope you get a response.

[cdarrow26]

I ran into the same issue yesterday. I only have 2 stores, one adjusted it, no problem. The other said she couldn't, asked another cashier that said she didn't know anything about it (big surprise) but then called the manager and was told to go ahead and adjust it down. Now, if they would only stay consistent...who knows what would happen next time...

[mom2fiveaz]

The assistant mgr at my store said to adjust product price up to $2.25...I used the $2.25 coupon and got the $2RR. adjusting the coupon price is altering the coupon...FRAUD.

[RutgersKittyn]

This is a copy of an email the Store Manager sent me last September when I complained about a similar problem:

Coupon FAQ's

Use the information below to ensure that your store is following the appropriate policy when accepting both Walgreens and manufacturer coupons.
Can a customer use both a Manufacturer's coupon and Walgreens coupon for the same item in a purchase?

• One Walgreen and one manufacturer coupon can be used for the same item, unless either coupon prohibits such use.
• Walgreens Roto Ad Coupons, Instant Value Coupons (IVC), and a manufacturer's coupon can be used towards the purchase of any one item. "One coupon per purchase" means one coupon must be tendered for each PIECE sold.

What happens if the Manufacturer coupon's value is more than the retail value?

• Walgreens does not provide cash back if a coupon is presented for more than the purchase value of the item (e.g., the customer is using the coupon to purchase a clearance item).
• If the retail of the item is less than the face value of the coupon:
  
  • the coupon value shall be the retail value if the state requires taxes to be paid on that item,
  • the coupon value shall be the retail value plus taxes if the state does not require taxes to be paid on the item.
  
  

Can a customer use a coupon after a sale has been made?

• All valid coupons must be presented to the cashier at the time of sale only!

If there is no quantity limit on a Walgreens coupon can a manager impose his/her own limit?

• Yes, managers have the right to limit the quantities of all advertised items.

Does Walgreens price match or accept coupons from other retailers?

• Walgreens does not price match with other retailer.
• Walgreens does not accept coupons from other retailers or coupons for products not carried in our stores.
• Walgreens does not accept expired coupons.

A customer purchased an item using a manufacturer's coupon and wants to return it. At what price do we return the item?

• If an item purchased with a manufacturer's coupon is returned, the customer will get the retail price of the item. If the customer purchased an item with a Walgreens coupon, the customer receives the price paid.

Example 1: If the retail price for an item is $1.49 and the manufacturers coupon was 25¢ off, the refund amount would be $1.49 plus tax.
Example 2: If the retail price for an item is $1.49 and the Walgreens coupon was 25¢ off, the refund amount would be $1.24 plus tax.

Stores are not required to keep Roto ad coupons. What about Instant Value Coupons?

• For Instant Value Coupons, stores receive credit from the manufacturer ONLY if the coupon is scanned. Once an IVC coupon has been scanned and the transaction is finished, you can discard the coupon.

[pnault17]

wal greens is idiots when it comes to coupons, they will in NO shape fashion or manner adust a stupid coupon, no not even for a penny, I have left buggys full of stuff for them to put up before over this crap.

Ummm. I'm an expert in customer service, and while I may share your opinion, treating the cashier like an imbecile is not the way to win them over.

Wow, that's a big generalization..........
BTW, your e-mail is nicely worded, OP. I hope you get a response.

:sigh: Thanks.

Now, if they would only stay consistent...who knows what would happen next time...

Really, this is just what I personally would like. They obviously have guidelines, why won't they share them with consumers???

The assistant mgr at my store said to adjust product price up to $2.25...I used the $2.25 coupon and got the $2RR. adjusting the coupon price is altering the coupon...FRAUD.

:woa: Since when is that fraud??? Target's coupon policy states very clearly that they will not give overage, but that they will adjust a coupon "down" to match the price of the item. I doubt they could get away with that if it was fraud.

This is a copy of an email the Store Manager sent me last September when I complained about a similar problem:

Yes, but what STORE? If the stores are all allowed to write their own policies, or are mostly clueless about the correct use of coupons, we lose out on deals and Walgreens loses our business.

We need to get WAGS corporate to sit down with some of the veteran couponers here. :shrug7: If they have legitimate reason to restrict certain coupon purchases, so be it, but the reasons need to be clearly understood by all so we can adjust our actions accordingly.

I dunno. Walgreens makes me tired.

[ayenbe]

I believe that a store can adjust the price of a coupon DOWN to prevent overage IF they write the amount that it is redeemed for on the coupon itself. Then when they submit the coupon to the manufacturer, they will be reimbursed adjusted price.