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I tried this coupon at my local Walgreens, but they refused to honor it because the pre-tax items did not equal $1.00 … the coupon does not say the total purchase must equal at least $1.00 (as some coupons do). I was told that their system would not let them adjust the coupon down. Is this common? Thanks.

This is an example of a cashier who isn’t trained. They can adjust coupons down to match the coupon. Another tip is to make sure you buy an extra item so that any overage is applied to it. Then they wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. Hope this helps!

Update: I emailed Walgreens asking for a copy of their coupon policy and very briefly describing my issue this morning. I received a personal phone call from the manager of my local Walgreens this afternoon offering an apology. He was posting notices around the store informing everyone of how to adjust coupons down. He also offered to mail me $1.00 if I had purchased the items already (which I did not). I went back this evening and made my purchase (with the coupon) without any problems. Thanks for the advice!

My Walgreens just did the same thing! I was not pleased since I asked the cashier if she could just adjust the coupon as I had seen done in the past. She called the manager (I assume) and I was told no! I am a teacher and I use these supplies in my room. I thought it was rude the way this was handled. This was the Highway 153 Walgreens. I have never had a problem in Red Bank. I wish there was a way to get my local Walgreens to honor coupons by adjusting them down. This is not the first time this has happened. How can the corporate office allow such variances in their stores?

I also wanted to mention that I had more items to purchase. I left them though since I wasn’t going to use my debit card for an amount of less than 5.00.

I’m sorry to hear of your experiences! Honestly, I’ve had some run ins with Walgreen’s cashiers, too. (That is why I like CVS better!)

Me too…honestly, even when a coupon won’t work, something is not as advertised, etc. I have always found the people who work at CVS really go out of their way to be nice. That doesn’t mean they “give in” or anything like that….they just act professional with extreme caring. At least the CVS on Highway 153 is!

Rhonda – you might want to head to Walgreens.com and send them a message through their Customer Service contact page. That’s what I did and within an few hours I received a call from the local manager apologizing. He put up signs around the store informing the employees (and other managers) on the coupon policies. I went back later and had no problems. It might be worth it just so that they know in the future.
I love that you’re from Chatt!! We just moved away from there a year ago and we miss it SO much! Made my heart glad to hear “Highway 153″ =).

I love Chattanooga. Yes, I live right on 153 so I have access to everything. I just hate making trips out and my coupons not be honored. I would rather pay more somewhere else or not waste my time. Red Bank is in the other direction but it might be the direction I am headed.

I did what you said when I saw that you had done the same thing. I also mentioned that as a teacher I am doing this for my class. I just want their policy in writing. If that’s the policy, then it’s done, but if it’s not then I would like for them to fix it for future visits for everyone.

UPDATE:
Well, this is all I got back. So vague and with NO information I can actually use. I emailed again to see if I could get the actual guidelines to post here.

Dear Rhonda,

Thank you for taking your time to contact our Corporate Offices. We appreciate hearing from our customers and value all comments received.

Unfortunately, we do not have a coupon policy, rather “guidelines” we follow.

Again, thank you for contacting our corporate office. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your comments.

Sincerely,

Kim
Consumer Response Representative

Really? That’s it? Wow! Not the best customer service- and they didn’t even give you a copy of the “guidelines”?

One resource for you is Hot Coupon World’s guidelines on Walgreens, you can check it out here:
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/walgreens/23-walgreens-faq-policy.html

But again, it sounds like it is their policy to vary from store to store…

I got a call from the manager the Highway 153 Walgreens. He was nice but didn’t sound too excited to have been contacted about this from corportate. He did explain that their prices can be adjusted up and he was unsure of why this was not done. I must explain part of the conversation on here because it seems there are some big no-no’s going on out there that are making the everyday average coupon user look very bad. He said they had a lady come in a couple of days before with at least 20 coupons with all the expiration dates cut off. Of course, when you scan them, they show as expired. He also said many people are thinking you get cash back from coupons if you don’t spend over the amount. PLEASE folks…buy something more than what you are after to keep everyone else from being scrutinized. If you are getting a super deal then a little more from your pocket really will help our image.

Although I have not been to a couponing class and am not part of a group, there is a misconception that the groups are out there to help folks attempt to commit coupon fraud. I am honestly trying to look at this from their point of view as well so when they have so many negative experiences, then some of us get blasted for having a coupon that is a penny over the amount of the sale. Again, I had more items and intended to come back and get even more things for my classroom but this whole thing left a sour taste for me. I hope next time it’s a much better experience.

So the answer to the question I was seeking is that they CAN adjust the price up to match the coupon.

Oh, that is just sad. It is frustrating to me that people try to break the rules and like you said it gives the rest of us that coupon a bad name! Hmmm…think this should be addressed in a blog post….

Thanks for sharing!

It does make me sad that because of people abusing the system, all of us are often treated like we’re cheating or doing something wrong just for using a coupon. I get so frustrated when stores make me feel awkward for using a legit coupon – especially when they will be reimbursed by the manufacturer – so they are not out any money. For this reason, I love our local grocery store here (Price Chopper). They actually print it in their weekly ad when you can add a manufacturer’s coupon from the paper to make their store sales or coupons even better. For example, they had Colgate toothbrushes on sale this week, buy one get two free, plus they printed next to that ad to look for a coupon in your paper – the coupon was for $1/2 – which they allow even though you’re technically only paying for one item. I ended up paying $2.29 for three toothbrushes. Makes me feel like they are attempting to help me save even more money. Glad it all worked out for you, Rhonda. Good luck in Chatt!