Sunday, April 10, 2011

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!

6 comments:

Frugal Pals April 11, 2011 at 7:50 AM  

I quit going to CVS and starting shopping more at Riteaid because CVS never had their shelves stocked. It is really annoying when you have your shopping trip all planned out and then you are missing something and you pay more out of pocket then.

Unknown April 11, 2011 at 8:34 AM  

I have been in CVS stores like that, but the store I shop at has never had that problem. I known that alot of htat has to do with the management, at these drug stores change managers pretty often. In fact hte gentleman I talked to yesterday I had never seen in there before, so I hope this isn't going to start being a problem.

We don't have a Rite Aid around here, but I wish we did because I see people getting awesome deals there.

We don't shop at Walgreens anymore though because they make it so complicated and always acted like I was trying to pull something over on them and I always left feeling frustrated. Plus my family has had some personal issues with the company as well.

I love your picture with the scrabble tiles. =) thanks for stopping by!

SassyScrap April 11, 2011 at 9:10 AM  

I discovered my CVS restocks on Wednesdays. I too was so frustrated going in on Sunday and everything already gone - I also learned that they start honoring the Sunday sales on Saturday @5pm - Aha! Now I know! ;) I made 2 trips this week that were very successful:

Saturday was the last day of the Buy One get 2nd 50% off of Revlon sale. When I had scanned my card earlier in the week it gave me a $5.00 any 2 Revlon. So I ran in and grabbed 2 eyeshadow @$4.99 each. Less the 50% off 2nd one, less $5.00 CVS Q, less 2 $1.00 Revlon MQs (which were expiring), my total OOP = .48. Gotta love it!

My Sunday trip for new sale (I was surprised they had what I needed - I fully expected to have to come back and not be able to use my $5/40 Q) but I lucked out:

(4) Airwick Freshmatic Kits (minis) - $5.00 ea.
(1) Lysol Neutra Air spray - $2.50
(2) Brut Deodoarant (B1G1) - $4.79
(1) Biore Pore Strips & Cleanser (2/$15)

Total before Qs: $42.29

(1) -$5.00/$40.00 (CVS Q)
(4) -$4.00/Airwick Freshmatic kit (MQ)
(1) -$1.50 Lysol Neutra Air (MQ)
(2) -$1.00 Brut Deodorant (MQ)
(1) -$7.50 B1G1 Biore Pore Strips & Cleanser (MQ)
(1) -$1.98 ECB from last week

Total Qs: $33.98

Math: $42.29 - $33.98 = $8.31 + $10 ECB + $5 ECB = $6.69 Money Maker! Woot!

Unknown April 11, 2011 at 12:09 PM  

That's great! That's alot like the trip I planned. Maybe I'll make it back down there on Friday.

Traci April 11, 2011 at 1:51 PM  

Your situation sounds similar to mine the other day! Nothing in stock and can't use the $5/$40. I did make a small purchase, but lost a couple of ECBs in the process. Bring on the rain checks!

Jessica @ The Shoestring Budget April 15, 2011 at 3:19 PM  

I have had the same problem you did numerous times at my CVS. The lady told me that they're getting ready to do inventory so they're not getting as much stuff in. I felt like telling her, "But if you get it in, I'll buy it from you and you won't have to count it in your inventory!" Oh well, I still love shopping at CVS! Especially when I can get the deals I planned to!

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