I don't live in an area where I have easy access to a Rite Aid, so I asked here for someone who would be willing to share what the know about shopping Rite Aid.
I'm happy to say that Elise, an avid organizer who lives in Ohio with her family, has given us a great resource for learning to shop at Rite Aid. You can find Elise over at Organizing for Everyone. Be sure to visit her as she has lots of great organazing & frugal tips to share! Thanks Elise!
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Shopping at Rite Aid can be a great way to snag free
or low cost items to add to your stockpile of frequently used items.
In my deal shopping, I’ve learned a few tricks for making the most of your Rite Aid experience.
Each month, Rite Aid publishes a circular of items you can purchase and then submit your receipt to receive a rebate. Sometimes the item is free after rebate, other times you just get back a portion of the purchase price. You can use a manufacturer’s coupon when purchasing these items, though, so you can often get them for free or cheap (or even make money on them when they’re free after rebate) when you use a coupon and then submit for the rebate.
Also watch for sales - an item that isn’t free after rebate might go on sale that month, making it free after rebate. This catalog is similar in size and look to a weekly store circular -- don’t be confused if you’re familiar with Walgreens’ rebate program, since their monthly rebate catalog is significantly smaller in size than Rite Aid’s. The circulars are usually located at the front of the store.
Rite Aid offers a Single Check Rebate each month, so don’t ask for your rebate before the end of the month.
Once you request the rebate you cannot submit any more receipts for that month. You can request your rebate either by snail mail or online. Even though you don’t want to request your rebate until the monthly rebate period has ended, you can enter your receipt information online throughout the month. I like to do that so I don’t lose a receipt or forget to input one if I have a stack of them at the end of the month. And look for deadline dates -- after a certain point you can no longer receive rebates for past month’s purchases.
Be sure to get the Rite Aid sales ad each week.
It’s often in the Sunday paper and in some areas it’s mailed to residential addresses. If you don’t get it one of those ways, you can find it at the front of the store. The ad will tell you what’s on sale that week so you can check through your coupons and see if you can get any good deals.
There are usually store coupons in the ad, as well. These can be combined with manufacturer’s coupons, meaning you might be able to get the item free or for a very low cost. Beware of the fine print about savings in the ad, however. The ads often state the sale price of an item, then subtracts an amount and then lists the final price. It LOOKS like the item is on sale for that final price when in reality, next to the amount subtracted, it says something like “after manufacturer’s coupon in many Sunday papers.” What initially looks like a great deal combined with the manufacturer’s coupon in your file box really isn’t when you realize they’re simply subtracting that coupon for you.
Rite Aid will accept internet coupons up to the equivalent value of $5 off. It’s often in the Sunday paper and in some areas it’s mailed to residential addresses. If you don’t get it one of those ways, you can find it at the front of the store. The ad will tell you what’s on sale that week so you can check through your coupons and see if you can get any good deals.
There are usually store coupons in the ad, as well. These can be combined with manufacturer’s coupons, meaning you might be able to get the item free or for a very low cost. Beware of the fine print about savings in the ad, however. The ads often state the sale price of an item, then subtracts an amount and then lists the final price. It LOOKS like the item is on sale for that final price when in reality, next to the amount subtracted, it says something like “after manufacturer’s coupon in many Sunday papers.” What initially looks like a great deal combined with the manufacturer’s coupon in your file box really isn’t when you realize they’re simply subtracting that coupon for you.
No more than one internet coupon is permitted per sale transaction. Internet coupons must have a valid barcode that scans successfully into the register; manual entry is not permitted.
At times, they offer a $5 off a $25 purchase coupon so keep your eyes open for those. You can get one for signing up for MyRiteAid.com -- you get $50 in Rite Aid coupons for signing up and one of them is the $5 off a $25 purchase. It’s free to register for MyRiteAid.com.
Always check a few frugal blogs that detail Rite Aid deals for the week before heading out to shop. They might spot a deal you didn’t see or know of a coupon you might have missed.
And lastly, in my area at least, Rite Aid is almost always located across the street from a Walgreens. If I stop at both in one trip, I maximize my savings as well as save time and gas.
Update:
Elise over at Organizing for Everyone wrote to tell me that some things have changed with Rite Aid. I still don't have one in my area, so it's harder for me to keep up on their details. Elise noted that DealSeekingMom has all of RiteAid's policies in a printable format here. Thanks again Elise!
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