Red Phone: Coupons aren’t as advertised

“I know you guys are not a consumer advocate group. But there was ad at Walgreens to buy some soap on special for $4.99. I had a little disagreement with the manager. I had to go back to them and prove to them it was on sale. I saw in small print it said not available in all stores. There is only one Walgreens in Gilroy and it is a good sized store. They should carry the merchandise they advertise. It is totally deceiving to the general public. Gilroy residents should boycott that store for not having the merchandise. It has happened to me numerous times and I am fed up.”

Red Phone: Dear Disgruntled Shopper, There is no reason to boycott our local Walgreens. Many other stores have similar policies in place with their coupons. Walgreens, like other chain stores, has different policies on what coupons they can accept and what products they stock. 

Shoppers can find weekly coupons inserted into the Gilroy Dispatch that they can use to save money. Walgreens only accepts coupons from that week and does not honor competitor coupons, according the official policy at  walgreens.com/topic/generalhelp/ coupon_policy. 

If you bring out your bifocals to read the fine print on the flyers, you will see that they mention merchandise is only available while supplies last and rain checks won’t be given. 

In addition to the weekly coupons, Walgreens also accepts manufacture coupons and can combine them with weekly coupons. The company offers coupons it calls Register Rewards that can be used for store credit on the next visit.

Shoppers should check their receipts to make sure that they receive the discount mentioned. People can file complaints by calling the corporate office at (800) 925-4733.