Read This Before You Shop At Walgreens Again

There are few things you can count on in this world as much as seeing a Walgreens on almost every street corner. Seriously, no matter where you live, you probably know of at least one Walgreens close by and likely even more than just one. The drug store chain is known for carrying all you could ever want in terms of medicines, prescriptions, and even beauty products, but Walgreens is more than that.

You could buy a good amount of other household necessities at Walgreens, too. The store carries certain grocery items, pet care products, and cleaning supplies. Really, when you look at it, Walgreens is basically a mini Target without all the temptation of gorgeous home decor and cheap clothing. So, next time you gear up to go to Walgreens, remember that you can score some pretty great deals if you're prepared and if you know what you're looking for. So, read this before you shop at Walgreens again, and you'll be so glad you did.

It's no secret that one of the best ways to save money at any store is to sign up for their rewards program if they have one, especially if the program is free. And Walgreens is no different. Even if you've never really been a Walgreens shopper, it's still a smart idea to sign up for their myWalgreens rewards program. It's free to sign up and is a truly excellent way to save money on everything you buy at Walgreens.

The program offers one percent cash back on everything in the store, including the pharmacy, and five percent cash back on any Walgreens brand items. Seriously, why wouldn't you sign up to take advantage of savings? The myWalgreens program also automatically gives you sale prices for items and allows you to redeem your rewards at checkout. The program is pretty great and can save you so much money that you might find yourself shopping at Walgreens more and more.

Unless you are the type of person who enjoys sifting through weekly catalogs and mailers to find the best coupons, the Walgreens app is a must for anyone who shops at the drug store franchise. Obviously, the app is free to download, and you can use it to sign up for the myWalgreens rewards program, or just link your account if you already have one.

Once you have the app, you can use it to browse through all the weekly coupons that are available to you and save them to redeem in store. But that's not all. With the Walgreens app, you can also just look at what's available in your particular Walgreens store to get a good idea of stock, and you can see prices, which can help you to compare costs against those of other retailers. You can also receive digital receipts, so you don't have to keep track of the paper copies, and you can easily look back at your pharmacy transactions. Really, the Walgreens app is so simple and easy to use, and it can make all the difference whether you regularly shop at Walgreens or only visit occasionally. 

There's no denying the fact that donating money or time to a charity is a great thing to do, especially if it's for a good cause that you're passionate about. But sometimes it can be complicated. So, if you've ever found yourself wishing there was a super simple way to donate to a good cause, then head on down to your local Walgreens. Well, make sure you've signed up for the myWalgreens rewards program first, and then get to shopping. Because while the rewards program might exist in order to save you money, it can also help you help others.

Instead of using your cash rewards from your myWalgreens for yourself, you can actually choose to donate them to local charities and organizations. And if you want to see which charities are available, simply log onto your myWalgreens account. You should easily find the local organizations you can give to there. Since the myWalgreens program already saves you money, donating your cash back rewards is a great way to truly make the most out of shopping at Walgreens.

Because not everyone might feel inclined to sign up for the myWalgreens rewards program, there are plenty of other ways to save money at the store. You don't have to be a member to scout for coupons, and on the Walgreens website, it's easier than every to check out store specials online, without ever leaving the comfort of your couch.

Seriously, just pull up the Walgreens website and get to studying. You can make note of any items on sale that you've been meaning to buy, as well as deals on things you really just can't pass up. There are special sale items, items you can get discounted when you order them online, and weekly deals that you can take advantage of in store. Before you even think about stepping foot inside a Walgreens again, make sure you check out their store specials online because there might be a great deal for one of your favorite beauty products that you could miss out on if you aren't careful.

If 2020 taught the world anything, it's that online shopping was a truly underrated experience before COVID-19. Fortunately, most retailers have made it even easier to shop online, and Walgreens is one of them. Believe it or not, but the drug store actually has a ton of online offerings. Plus, you can choose to have many products delivered straight to you or you can just pick them up from your local Walgreens in as little as 30 minutes.

Not only that, but you can sort items online by price and even prioritize sale and clearance items that your local Walgreens might not have in stock. For instance, if there's a sale on nail polish but your store is all out of the product, just order it online! If you spend at least $35, you get free shipping, so shopping at Walgreens online is actually a smart way to stock up on a ton of drug store products while staying safe at home. Honestly, it's a win-win.

Though not everyone has one, a Flexible Spending Account, or FSA, is a great way to save money on health care costs or items. Many employers contribute to their employees' FSAs, which are not taxable accounts, though not always, so you'll want to see what's available from your employer. Whatever the case, if you have an FSA, then you can actually spend it at Walgreens on a large assortment of products — not just prescription medicine. 

According to the Walgreens website, your FSA can be used to purchase allergy medicine, infant care supplies, sunscreen, vitamins, and even face wash. So, if you have an FSA and need to spend it before it expires — or if you just want to make better use of it because you don't go to the doctor's office or the dentist a ton — then Walgreens might just be your new favorite store.

Just like how every store has their own way of marking down items and putting certain products on sale, Walgreens does too. The drug store chain doesn't necessarily reduce the costs of items in a regular pattern, so it might seem impossible to know whether or not the lipstick you've been eyeing is the best price it can be. However, if you take a close look at the colored tags on items, you'll be able to know whether or not a product will be marked down in the future.

For instance, according to Money Crashers, regular tags at Walgreens obviously mean an item is its regular price, no discounts. But if an item has a red tag, that means it's on sale but not for long. However, a red tag isn't necessarily an indicator that the item is at its cheapest price. Rather, orange tags at Walgreens indicate that an item is on clearance, meaning you should swipe it as soon as possible if you want it. It's not a perfect science, but knowing which colored tags to look out for at Walgreens can definitely help you save money on everything from moisturizer to multivitamins.

As Walgreens is a drug store, it makes sense that the retailer would be focused on health. And as it turns out, the store even offers incentives for customers to get healthy and active. Yes, if you're a myWalgreens rewards member, then you can participate in health challenges to earn rewards without even having to spend any money in stores.

Luckily enough, it's pretty easy to sign up for the health challenges. Just check out the Walgreens website or app and make sure you're signed in to your myWalgreens account. Then select the next available health challenge. According to the Walgreens website, "Health challenges last 4 weeks and include physical activity & lifestyle goals," and you can participate in two at a time — one physical and one lifestyle. You can sync your phone to automatically track your activity progress or input information yourself, and then when you complete the challenge, you'll collect Walgreens cash rewards. You can really only make 25 cents per challenge, but it can still be a great motivational tool. Plus, if you do "complete all 4 weeks of the challenge," you could win $2 in Walgreens Cash rewards.

There's a reason why shows like Extreme Couponing and Extreme Cheapskates are so addicting and interesting to watch. There's something truly satisfying about watching people save ridiculous amounts of money all by clipping coupons and shopping smart. But if coupon stacking intimidates you, don't fret. At Walgreens, it's actually pretty simple and totally worthwhile to get the most out of each coupon and save as much cash as possible.

Specifically, according to The Krazy Coupon Lady, the best way to save money at Walgreens is to stack store coupons with manufacturer coupons, which the store allows one of per product. But that's not all. If you plan it right, you can stack a store coupon, a manufacturer coupon, and a Walgreens Cash promotion through your myWalgreens account to save a lot more money. It might seem like a lot of work, but if you want to make the most out of your trip to Walgreens, and out of your myWalgreens rewards account, then coupon stacking is the way to go.

When you log on to check your email in the mornings, you probably don't think about what deals you can score at Walgreens that week. However, the Walgreens email newsletter can actually be super helpful, and if you plan on doing any amount of shopping there, it might just be worth it.

Signing up for emails from Walgreens will enable you to check your myWalgreens rewards account balance, see any relevant health advisories, and see if your local Walgreens Health clinic is offering any seasonal services — like flu shots, for instance. Obviously, the emails can also inform you of any upcoming sales or specials and give you promo codes for photo orders. It might seem annoying to get more emails in your inbox, but it might just be worth it if you shop at Walgreens regularly. Pro tip? Create an alternate email address you'll only check once a week, so you don't have to collect a bunch of clutter and promotional email in your main inbox.

If you find yourself regularly grabbing prescriptions at Walgreens, then signing up for their Prescription Savings Club is probably a smart plan. Though it's not free, the plan isn't all that expensive at just $20 per year for one person and $35 per year for a family. Though it doesn't cover your grandparents or parents even if they live at the same residence, the family plan does include pets. So, your own children and furry family members are covered. And with how much money you could save from it, it's seriously worth it for anyone who requires more than one prescription per year.

According to the Walgreens website, the savings club is open to anyone, with or without health insurance, and offers discounts on prescriptions of all kinds. Additionally, you'll get savings on immunizations, such as the flu shot; a 10 percent bonus for buying Walgreens' brand products and Nice! items; and even savings on health supplies like nebulizers. So yes, you might have to pay for a membership in the Prescription Savings Club, but if you're someone who spends a lot of money on prescriptions or other medical items and supplies, it should pay for itself before too long.

Even if you've signed up for a myWalgreens rewards account, you might not realize that earning a bunch of Walgreens Cash isn't always easy.

According to The Krazy Coupon Lady, there are two ways to take the absolute most advantage of Walgreens cash with your myWalgreens rewards account. After all, one percent cash back isn't a lot, especially if you don't shop at Walgreens that often, but there are other ways to stack up the savings. The first way to get the most Walgreens cash is to look for a "purchase-quantity threshold," according to The Krazy Coupon Lady. This means something like a promotion offering for you earn an extra $3 in Walgreens cash if you purchase two of a certain item. The other way is through a "purchase-spend threshold," which would be, for example, a promotion offering $5 Walgreens Cash for spending something like $15. There are other ways, of course, but to truly maximize your Walgreens Cash, look for the promotions online and in stores.

Every year, just like clockwork, cold and flu season rolls around to try and ruin people's fall and winter. And despite the COVID-19 pandemic dominating the headlines, getting a flu shot is still important and will likely always be important for the your health and the health of those around you. Fortunately, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get your flu shot, especially if you go to Walgreens.

A flu shot is usually free at Walgreens with just about every insurance company, and even if you don't have insurance, the flu shot at Walgreens isn't usually all that expensive. You can typically get a discount if you use a website like GoodRX. Additionally, according to PopSugar, Walgreens often offers deals or coupons for future purchases just for getting your flu shot in store. So, get vaccinated and save money when you get your flu shot at Walgreens. 

While Walgreens might not be the first store you think of when you need to load up on essential household items, there is one feature Walgreens offers that you might not be aware of that might change your mind.

If you sign up for Walgreens' Auto Reorder and Save feature, that's exactly what will happen. You'll be able to choose whatever items you want to always stay stocked up on that will be shipped to you however often you want — be that weekly, monthly, or anything else. There are cleaning products, health and fitness essentials, baby products, and all kinds of medicines. As an added bonus, you'll get 10 percent off of your auto reorder and 20 percent off Walgreens' brand products you subscribe to. You can cancel or reschedule your auto shipment at any time.

With the coronavirus pandemic, people all over the world have started to see the advantages of curbside pickup and drive-thrus. And that includes the higher-ups at Walgreens. In May 2020, they launched a new drive-thru option to help customers feel safe and healthy while shopping at Walgreens, joining their already existing curbside pickup option. As Richard Ashworth, president of Walgreens, said in a press release, "During this current COVID-19 pandemic, we recognized the need for safe, alternative shopping options that helped promote social distancing." So, they gave customers the option to order online and pick up at the drive-thru, at a curbside location, or in the store. 

Ordering is pretty simple, too. Just download the Walgreens app, do your shopping at your local Walgreens from the convenience of your phone, and the app will tell you when your order is ready for pickup, which could be in just 30 minutes. It's super simple, so why not stay home and order what you need?