Monday, May 25, 2009

Look out CVS, Here comes the Deal Diva


I'm not a big CVS shopper. Nothing against the store, they do have great deals. It's just that I try not to go too far out of my way for a deal. Even though there are numerous CVS stores here in the Twin Cities, none are right along my normal routes. If the deals are good enough for the week, I might plan the extra time to head to one - but what if they are out of the "deal" items? Or, even when I am lucky enough to find these items in stock, if I don't plan ahead for a strategy to do two transactions (one to earn the Extrabucks and one to redeem them), then I need to make another future trip to the out-of-the-way store.

One of the main reasons I shop at Walgreens is that there is one right on my way to and from work. If there's something specific that I'm looking for, or if I have expiring Register Rewards, I can be in and out in 5 minutes.

Which brings me to the point of this post - a new CVS is under construction right along my work route.

I'm hoping to become a more frequent CVS shopper once this new location opens. It will be much easier to do as others do and "roll over the Extrabucks" when I can quickly stop in on my way to or from work. Plus, if I stop in early Monday morning, hopefully I will have a better chance of finding the new deal items from Sunday still in stock.

Just a few months to go, and my Extra Rewards card is burning a hole in my pocket! I will report back on my deal-finding success stories shortly!

Your Turn: How much does store location play a part in your deal-finding strategy? Do you ever consider the value of your time and gas costs in determining whether a deal is worth your while? Share your input.

2 comments:

CJ said...

Luckily I have a great Walgreens just a few blocks away from home and a few other Walgreens within a 5 mile radius of work and home. A new CVS is being built about 15 miles from my house so I may start going there occasionally but not several times a week like I do with Walgreens. Its not worth it to me to drive long distances for deals unless it's something like KMart's double coupon event where I can save a lot all at once.

It's the wife said...

I am lucky enough to have 3 CVS stores and at least 6 Walgreens near my home so I go to both stores a lot. But, if they weren't so close, I don't think I would go out of my way. The money spent on gas, not to mention my time, usually would not be worth it.

Maybe you already know this, but in case you don't, if you do make the trip to CVS and they are out of a ECB deal, you can just get a rain check. That way you can use it at a later date, get the sale price AND the ECB's. Sometimes I even have a coupon or a better coupon when I use the rain check so it becomes an even better deal. Rain checks don't expire either so they can be used at your convenience.