For COMPETITOR COUPONS: Best and Worst
With Giant Eagle's new ONE-PER-DAY policy on taking competitor Rx coupons, this is my new ranking for BEST PLACES and WORST PLACES to transfer prescriptions and use competitor coupons.
BEST:
(1) CVS
(2) Giant Eagle
(3) Kmart
WORST:
(1) Kroger
DO NOT TAKE AT ALL:
-- Walgreen's
-- Wal-Mart
-- Target
For details, see Rx4Less.net/matrix. (It has not yet been updated to show Giant Eagle's latest policy regarding competitor coupons. They change their policy so often, I like to wait a few weeks to make sure they don't change it again ;-)
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The BEST for taking their OWN Rx Coupons:
(1) Target
(1) Giant Eagle
(3) CVS
(4) Kmart
WORST at taking their OWN Rx Coupons:
-- Kroger
-- Walgreen's
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Giant Eagle now taking competitor coupons more often
Giant Eagle (at least some pharmacies in central Ohio) are again taking competitor Rx coupons more often than just ONE PER SIX MONTHS.
Their current limit is ONE PER DAY on competitor coupons. They will even match the Kroger "coupon-less" Rx offer to give $25 gift card for a prescription transferred. Kroger has been advertising this offer in Columbus area for past few weeks via TV ads and newspaper ads -- including one on top right of The Columbus Dispatch.
Their current limit is ONE PER DAY on competitor coupons. They will even match the Kroger "coupon-less" Rx offer to give $25 gift card for a prescription transferred. Kroger has been advertising this offer in Columbus area for past few weeks via TV ads and newspaper ads -- including one on top right of The Columbus Dispatch.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Updated: Color-coded matrix of pharmacies best about taking COMPETITOR coupons
I've just finished updating the table/matrix to show which pharmacies are best and worst about taking competitor coupons.
It's at: http://matrix.Rx4Less.net .
This reflects CVS getting rid of their "Never Need to Transfer" campaign (where you could use competitor coupons for REFILLS as well as NEW & TRASNFERRED prescriptions) to keep you from transferring every other month away to a competitor. It also reflects the increasing hassles some of their pharmacists (such as Kevin Horsefield, one of their floaters who goes to various locations) are greeting customers with -- not allowing customers to use more than one coupon even when that competitor coupon says NOTHING about a "One per day" or "One per customer" limitation such as those from Target (which imposes no limit).
As I mentioned in last posting, you may find that Kmart is now a better place (with less hassle) to use competitor coupons than CVS now.
It's at: http://matrix.Rx4Less.net .
This reflects CVS getting rid of their "Never Need to Transfer" campaign (where you could use competitor coupons for REFILLS as well as NEW & TRASNFERRED prescriptions) to keep you from transferring every other month away to a competitor. It also reflects the increasing hassles some of their pharmacists (such as Kevin Horsefield, one of their floaters who goes to various locations) are greeting customers with -- not allowing customers to use more than one coupon even when that competitor coupon says NOTHING about a "One per day" or "One per customer" limitation such as those from Target (which imposes no limit).
As I mentioned in last posting, you may find that Kmart is now a better place (with less hassle) to use competitor coupons than CVS now.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
CVS no longer best place to take competitor coupons; Kmart is!
"Never?" transfer from CVS ... not forever!
The big "Never Need to Transfer ..." red banners that showed up at CVS pharmacies about a year ago are starting to disappear in some Columbus area stores this month. And the willingness of pharmacists and clerks to honor what it claimed had been disappearing long before this month at multiple locations.
This had been a campaign to convince people not to transfer their prescriptions to competitors to use a coupon one month and then transfer it back the next month with another coupon. As an area manager explained to me, it saved pharmacists a lot of time on the phone after the prescription was originally brought to them. They wouldn't have to be on the phone when a competitor's coupon is incentive to a customer to transfer the prescription away ... at least for a month ... and then perhaps have that same pharmacist back on the phone in a month to transfer it back for yet another coupon.
Some stores (like one on Henderson Road) no longer has that sign up and will no longer honor that (ask their new manager, Teresa, why). But the sign is still up at other stores -- at least those located in more competitive areas or where they think it's more necessary/advantageous -- such as at the CVS near the Giant Eagle at corner of Sawmill and Bethel.
If you're about to have CVS (that still has the "Never Need to Transfer ..." sign up at its pharmacy) refill a prescription and you have some competitor coupons, ask if they will still honor the sign behind them. If they don't honor it anymore, I suggest you consider transferring to a competitor (perhaps the one you have a coupon for) and let them know it's because they no longer honor what they're advertising. You might also want to ask those who still have the big red banner up but don't honor it WHY they would still advertise such a claim. If you have some righteous indignation about FALSE ADVERTISING (as I do), you might also want to ask how you can contact the pharmacy manager, store manager, and district manager to discuss this.
-Tom
p.s.: This modifies my ranking of best place to take competitor coupons as follows:
So, to clarify, here are my new rankings for BEST and WORST (in terms of accepting coupons from competitors):
BEST:
(1) Kmart
(2) CVS -- previously #1 when they accepted coupons on REFILLS so customers would "Never Need to Transfer ..." and would stay loyal to them.
POOR (ridiculously limited terms):
(3) Giant Eagle -- 1 twice a year
(4) Kroger -- 1 a day; 3 to 4 total per lifetime (ask Bill Sheridan in Westerville office of Kroger why that is)
WORST/(don't take any competitor coupons ever):
(5) Target
(6) Walmart
(7) Walgreen's
Meijer -- They occasionally have an Rx coupon that is "one per customer" and at one time I think they honored competitor coupons. But their service is so awful I couldn't see going back to them regardless what incentive they were going to give or honor ... nor suggest anybody else take their pharmacy business there.
NOTE: There are regional differences and the ratings above are based on my experiences recently in Central Ohio. I'm told that the Giant Eagle change will be in effect at all Giant Eagles nationally by the end of this week.
The big "Never Need to Transfer ..." red banners that showed up at CVS pharmacies about a year ago are starting to disappear in some Columbus area stores this month. And the willingness of pharmacists and clerks to honor what it claimed had been disappearing long before this month at multiple locations.
This had been a campaign to convince people not to transfer their prescriptions to competitors to use a coupon one month and then transfer it back the next month with another coupon. As an area manager explained to me, it saved pharmacists a lot of time on the phone after the prescription was originally brought to them. They wouldn't have to be on the phone when a competitor's coupon is incentive to a customer to transfer the prescription away ... at least for a month ... and then perhaps have that same pharmacist back on the phone in a month to transfer it back for yet another coupon.
Some stores (like one on Henderson Road) no longer has that sign up and will no longer honor that (ask their new manager, Teresa, why). But the sign is still up at other stores -- at least those located in more competitive areas or where they think it's more necessary/advantageous -- such as at the CVS near the Giant Eagle at corner of Sawmill and Bethel.
If you're about to have CVS (that still has the "Never Need to Transfer ..." sign up at its pharmacy) refill a prescription and you have some competitor coupons, ask if they will still honor the sign behind them. If they don't honor it anymore, I suggest you consider transferring to a competitor (perhaps the one you have a coupon for) and let them know it's because they no longer honor what they're advertising. You might also want to ask those who still have the big red banner up but don't honor it WHY they would still advertise such a claim. If you have some righteous indignation about FALSE ADVERTISING (as I do), you might also want to ask how you can contact the pharmacy manager, store manager, and district manager to discuss this.
-Tom
p.s.: This modifies my ranking of best place to take competitor coupons as follows:
So, to clarify, here are my new rankings for BEST and WORST (in terms of accepting coupons from competitors):
BEST:
(1) Kmart
(2) CVS -- previously #1 when they accepted coupons on REFILLS so customers would "Never Need to Transfer ..." and would stay loyal to them.
POOR (ridiculously limited terms):
(3) Giant Eagle -- 1 twice a year
(4) Kroger -- 1 a day; 3 to 4 total per lifetime (ask Bill Sheridan in Westerville office of Kroger why that is)
WORST/(don't take any competitor coupons ever):
(5) Target
(6) Walmart
(7) Walgreen's
Meijer -- They occasionally have an Rx coupon that is "one per customer" and at one time I think they honored competitor coupons. But their service is so awful I couldn't see going back to them regardless what incentive they were going to give or honor ... nor suggest anybody else take their pharmacy business there.
NOTE: There are regional differences and the ratings above are based on my experiences recently in Central Ohio. I'm told that the Giant Eagle change will be in effect at all Giant Eagles nationally by the end of this week.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Pharmacies BEST about taking their OWN coupons
Target and Giant Eagle are by far the best pharmacies I have ever dealt with when taking them their OWN coupons. Target especially has been great about this -- perhaps because their coupons are never worth more than a $10 gift card per prescription.
But regardless whether it's NEW or TRANSFERRED and regardless how many prescriptions I took to them (a dozen or more), they were fine with giving me a $10 gift card for each one as long as I had a separate Target Rx coupon for each one.
When they took competitor coupons, they were great about that too.
Giant Eagle at MOST locations where I've shopped has been great about taking an unlimited number of their OWN Rx coupons -- each giving you $1 in FuelPerks (worth up to $30 savings on gas ... if gas is less than $3, three of those being redeemed gives you enough for a free fill up ... and their GetGo folks are cool with you bringing as many fuel cans as you need to get all 30 free/discounted gallons if you don't drive a Hummer or some other monster truck/SUV that holds that much).
HOWEVER, when it comes to COMPETITOR COUPONS, Target no longer accepts any ... and Giant Eagle might as well not -- only accepting ONE per 6 months (2 per year).
For details about which pharmacies are BEST about taking COMPETITOR coupons, see below ... and at http://matrix.Rx4Less.net .
But regardless whether it's NEW or TRANSFERRED and regardless how many prescriptions I took to them (a dozen or more), they were fine with giving me a $10 gift card for each one as long as I had a separate Target Rx coupon for each one.
When they took competitor coupons, they were great about that too.
Giant Eagle at MOST locations where I've shopped has been great about taking an unlimited number of their OWN Rx coupons -- each giving you $1 in FuelPerks (worth up to $30 savings on gas ... if gas is less than $3, three of those being redeemed gives you enough for a free fill up ... and their GetGo folks are cool with you bringing as many fuel cans as you need to get all 30 free/discounted gallons if you don't drive a Hummer or some other monster truck/SUV that holds that much).
HOWEVER, when it comes to COMPETITOR COUPONS, Target no longer accepts any ... and Giant Eagle might as well not -- only accepting ONE per 6 months (2 per year).
For details about which pharmacies are BEST about taking COMPETITOR coupons, see below ... and at http://matrix.Rx4Less.net .
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