Posted on 01/13/2011 5:07:35 AM PST by PJ-Comix
Sometimes, when I am out on a coupon run, I cross paths with the Walgreens Yoda. The Walgreens Yoda is a friend who eats, breaths, lives for couponing at Walgreens. He basically knows all the deals and is usually armed with hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars of Register Rewards stuffed in thick envelops. So do I ask him for inside tips on the latest Walgreens deals? Nope. That question is strictly for amateurs since both Yoda and myself know exactly what the good deals are thanks to the many Walgreens blogs and forums available on the Web. The question I usually ask the Walgreens Yoda is: "What are the good fillers here?"
Huh? Fillers? What are they? Well, it would be impossible to do good couponing without fillers. They are the low priced items you often need for your couponing strategy. Ideally, it would be something you need like the tangerines above currently selling in the local supermarket for a dime each which I actually do consume. However, sometimes it is stuff I don't really need personally but is necessary to work out my coupon deals.
(Excerpt) Read more at couponwhisperer.blogspot.com ...
PING!
http://press.discovery.com/us/tlc/programs/extreme-couponing/
Yes, they’ve decided to make it into a series.
Let me ask everybody out there a question. Would you rather have a 5 year stockpile of toilet paper or just one FREE laptop computer? Well, guess what? I got my FEE Compaq Presario laptop last March via coupons. But, hey, if you prefer a massive stockpile of toilet paper which can be easily obtained several times a year, more power to you.
I understand the fillers. There’s a lot of stores that offer you things like “$10 your order of $75”, or “Free shipping for $25”, or a rewards mark for each fixed amount spent. So it’s always good to have items that you generally need, especially if they store well.
For example, I always keep some book or item in my Amazon cart that I know I want but don’t really need right away, so if something comes up and I need to replace something quickly, I can get the order up to the $25 for free super-saver shipping.
For my ferret purchases, the site does fixed-price shipping if you order $60, and then sometimes they have a $10 off $75. But I can always buy litter — it stores forever. And the ferrets love snacks, and they come sealed and have no expiration date, so between those two items I can usually fill out to just over the amount needed. (Unfortunately, they hit me with a $10 off coupon right after one order, and I finally had to throw it away).
The Lego club used to be this way, you’d have to add stuff to get to $25 to get a reward stamp. But now they manage the reward program on-line, and do it by the actual dollars and cents spent, so you can just buy what you wanted. The online store still has free shipping sometimes for purchases over a certain amount, but generally I’ll buy from Amazon for the super-saver shipping at the lower price points.
For food items, I’m afraid my filler would end up being candy bars, which wouldn’t be good for me. Tangerines are a great choice, since they sell them individually and they are cheap.
I’m a chick. Five years of TP sounds like a good night’s sleep to me, heh.
;)
bttt
I think most guys would prefer a FREE Compaq Presario laptop. Brand new.
Keep following The Coupon Whisperer because down the road I will be explaining how you can save BIG BUCKS on your gasoline bills.
I guess one could call me a bit of a prepper, so the TP supply sounds pretty darn good to me (not to mention I already have a desk top, lap top, netbook and Blackberry.)
That colon blast you were able to get for free, how did that go?
Working fillers at Walgreens is also an art form. For example, the order that they scan the coupons can make a huge difference.
Typically you do NOT need a filler when using a store coupon with a Manufacturer’s coupon on the old register system in order to use the store coupon. However, for SOME of the coupons (the Hybrid Walgreens coupon) SOMETIMES you will. Maybe more often than not. One way to try to get around it is have them scan the Walgreens coupon last.
This is an OOPs I have one more coupon moment because they are supposed to scan all Walgreens coupons first.
Also, 1 off 2 coupon IF HANDED FIRST will often attach to two items (depends on how it is coded) but if HANDED LAST you can SOMETIMES get away with that second item being counted as a filler.
Sounds complicated?? It is.
If you are doing lots of transactions with lots of RRs and having to juggle it all around - just have extra fillers in case they are needed.
One more tip, the RRs are manufacturer’s coupons. Walgreens can reduce the amount of coupon to the cost of the item although some cashiers and some managers are clueless.
Therefore, the RR CAN BE REDUCED DOWN. Not all stores will do it because they don’t know they can do it. So , a 10 RR can be reduced to 9.99 and thus save the need for a filler. You just have to find the store that will do it for you.
Two of the gals from the show are on Fox & Friends right now!
Welcome aboard, PINGEE #133.
Yes. And you might remember that in a previous edition of The Coupon Whisperer I agreed with Joanie on the need for PROFILING cashiers.
It was a blast. Actually I got a few for my friends as well.
As the gas prices rise like they have been, couponing will become a NECESSITY, not a mere luxury. Remember, one oil industry exec said that the prices will rise to $5 per gallon by 2012. For the experienced couponer that should not be a big problem. I already know how to reduce the price per gallon by about 40% and by next year my couponing skills will probably developed to the point where I can knock it down by 80%. So while others will be stuggling to shell out 5 bucks per gallon, The Coupon Whisperer will be merrily paying only about a buck per gallon.
P&G Everyday Solutions [PGEverydaySolutions@email.pgeverydaysolutions.com]
This was in my inbox this am.
Free samples,etc.
I'd presume magnificently. Why else do you think he'd stockpile the TP? :=)
I use this site for free samples:
http://www.mysavings.com/free-product-samples-section/
I like to hit the site once a week and sign up for the new ones that interest me - it also has online coupon lists.
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