4/10: Leaving CVS Empty-Handed

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  I have always been very impressed with my CVS for being so well-stocked.  The only time I have had issues with not being able to find items is when I have waited until the last minute.  But that was not the case today.

I had worked out a wonderful plan on paper, that would have left me $0.50 short of using all of my existing $16.98 in ECBs and I would have gotten back over $18!  The whole plan hinged on my being able to use my $5/$40 facebook coupon that expires today.  Because of this, if I would have left off anything in my plan, I would not have reached the $40 mark, and I would have ended up paying $5 more.

A big part of my plan included getting 3 AirWick Freshmatic Ultras at $6 each (and also 1 Finish tab at $3 to get me to $20 for the ECB deal).  I had 3 of the $4/1 printables from coupons.com, so these were going to take a huge chunk out of my total.  Were....

My store was out.  Actually, I'm not sure my store ever had any.  They had plenty of the I-Motion kind, but my coupon was not for that.  I didn't even see a space for them at first.  I even walked all around the store to see if they were displayed on an end cap.  After talking to the cashier, I went back to the shelf and discovered that the Lysol Nutra Air Kit was stocked in its spot.  I asked if there might be more in the back, but instead of calling someone to check for me, she directed me to the very back of the store where the assistant manager was busy stocking a shelf.  When I asked him if there were any in the back,the look on his face told me that he wasn't sure exactly what I was talking about.  However, he told me they were out.  Personally, I think he really just didn't feel like stopping what he was doing, but that's just me.

There were a few more things that I would have liked to have gotten on this trip, like the Biore deal using my BOGO coupon, but without these Airwicks, my plan fell apart.  It's strange that when shopping at CVS, buying less can often mean paying more.  There is a definite strategy involved, but once you get the hang of it, its like spending the same money over and over!

I did find out that their truck comes on Friday's so I may try back then (although I won't have my $5/$40 coupon).  If not, it's no big loss because my ECBs do not expire until the beginning of May.

I may have left without purchasing any items, but I did not quite leave empty handed.  When I scanned my card at the magic little red machine, out popped another $5 ECBs.  I had reached $50 in Beauty purchases for the CVS Beauty Club again!  So, I now have $21.98 in ECBs to spend on my next trip!  If you have not joined this club yet, it is very simple to do so.  Look around your store for the black and pink posters with a tearpad of registration coupons.  Bring one to the front and have them scan your card and scan it, and you're in!  Plus the $50 you need to spend is pre-coupon.  This is my second reward since I joined a few months back.  It couldn't be easier.

I hope you guys had better luck than I did.  I'd love for you to share!