Most people ask me daily "Why don't you shop at Walmart? Their prices are so much lower then anywhere else". Well, yes they are but in reality, when I shop at Walmart I tend to spend more on the same things I would buy in CVS, Walgreens, Wegmans etc. Why do you ask? Simple! They do not double coupons.
Let me give you an example.
This week at CVS 9.78-11.5 oz. Snickers bagged candy is on sale 2/$5. Spend $10 on them and get back $3 in extra care bucks.
This week at Walmart the same candy is on sale for $4.68 per 10.5 oz bag.
If I have a $1 off coupon why would I buy one bag for $3.68 when I can get 4 of the same product for essentially $6 after ecbs? Now, do I need all that candy for myself? My answer is not only no but HELL NO! However halloween is coming so at the moment I do need it.
So, which is the better deal? 10.5oz for $3.68 at Walmart or 42oz for $6 at CVS. CVS works itself out to a bottom line of $1.50 a bag.
People are generally shocked when I explain things to them in this way. They see $3.68 and think think "Wow, that's cheaper then $5". Tricky tricky advertising. I've learned over the years that just because I see a cheaper price DOES NOT always mean it will be the best deal.
Another example would be Proglide razors. Sure, they're $9.99 at CVS this week and are around that same general price at any other store. However, CVS is offering $5 in ecb's and there is a $4 coupon to be used. So I could go to Walgreens, for arguments sake, and let's say they're on sale there for $7.99 here is how it would breakdown for both stores.
Walgreens
$7.99
- $4.00 coupon
= $3.99
CVS
$9.99
- $4 coupon
= $5.99
+ 5 ECB
= $.99
Catching on now?
Keep in mind also, not every store will double a coupon at face value. There are times where I have to compare ads for hours and decide where I'm going to do my bulk shopping for the week. (Food, cat food etc) I recently needed cat food that I had a $.99 coupon for. Sure it was on a few pennies cheaper at Giant but at Wegmans, I ended up paying $1.98 less. Giant would only have given me $1 off.
Generic brands aren't always the cheaper option either. I've gotten MANY name brand things for a lot less then generics. I haven't spent more than $1.25 for a box of cereal in over a year. General Mill, Kelloggs, Post etc. That a whole lot cheaper then the generic versions of the same cereal. I haven't spent more then $10 on about 50 air sprays in a year. My mom used to go to Dollar Tree thinking she got a good deal for $1. Ah ha, until CVS put Glade on sale for $.99 and I had a $2/2 coupon. FREE! They tend to put them out fairly often as well so I stock up when I can when it's on hand when needed.
So remember, a cheaper advertised price DOES NOT always mean it will be cheaper in the end. Shop around, know you coupon policies, study those ads.
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