# Walgreens has pissed me off - requiring a loyalty card to use any store coupons or sales **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 3, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621 "2012-10-03T20:53:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/41 "2012-10-04T21:19:11Z")
What’s nice is 4-pack tallboys of Pilsener Urquell are $3.99 here. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/42 "2012-10-04T21:33:01Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > My dogs have quite a few loyalty cards. I never put my own information on them. My dog actually has loyalty cards, for the big Pet Supply Stores. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/43 "2012-10-04T21:48:50Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > \*\* Also, Walgreens is only about 2 years behind every other store\*\*\* around here on this. Fortunately all of them take a phone number. Hell, the Jewel and Dominick’s (Chicago’s major supermarkets, although their market share has been decreasing) have been on loyalty cards since the mid-90s. I’d be surprised if Safeway and Albertson’s reward cards aren’t similarly as old. I have to say, of all the cards, though, the Target card is the best. 5% off, and I get the best prices for stuff like Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers meals. I feel like an idiot for not signing up earlier. For years, I thought the 5% discount was only applied to the first purchase. My wife showed me my error. :smack: (ETA: Although there is a key difference: the Target card is an actual store credit card.) ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/44 "2012-10-04T22:33:29Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Meh. CVS has been doing this for a while and while I was annoyed at first, I actually do get a bunch of super useful coupons (after all, they are specifically tailored to me). This. While I understand not wanting to participate, loyalty cards can result in some good deals to get you coming back. Reminds me that I need to swing by and get my rewards coupon from CVS since it is the end of the quarter. I’ve received up to 20 dollars on occasion for doing nothing but shopping normally and showing my card. My local walgreens is advertising the card on their signs. I don’t go there because they had those little coupons you have to cut out to get their deals. I may go back if I just have to give my phone number to get the sales. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/45 "2012-10-05T00:00:24Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > With a properly implemented loyalty card system, the whole point is to reward and encourage the loyalty of their best customers, and attempt to convert their less frequent/profitable customers into more loyal/frequent/profitable customers. The point is to make more money for the store. That is the only point. If you choose to sincerely believe that the store is careful to make sure they only take extra money from those customers who don’t like them very much, and then share that extra money with those customers who give them lots and lots of their own money, well then, I admire your lack of cynicism and your sunny worldview. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/46 "2012-10-05T00:10:43Z")
It has been my experience that stores that heavily promote loyalty cards have the highest prices. A Walgreens came into our neighborhood a few years ago, and I did some comparison shopping. \*Every single one of a dozen items \*was priced higher at Walgreens than other stores. One common, over-the-counter drug was TWICE the price at Walgreens than Wal-Mart. It was so extreme, I double-checked. Wal-Mart doesn’t have loyalty cards or use coupons, and their prices are better than most any other store in my neighborhood. YMMV, but I vote with my wallet. There are three places to get groceries within a 30-mile radius. Two use loyalty cards, and the loyalty-card prices are NOT always the cheapest. Guess which store I patronize most often? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/47 "2012-10-05T00:18:49Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > It has been my experience that stores that heavily promote loyalty cards have the highest prices. > > A Walgreens came into our neighborhood a few years ago, and I did some comparison shopping. \*Every single one of a dozen items \*was priced higher at Walgreens than other stores. One common, over-the-counter drug was TWICE the price at Walgreens than Wal-Mart. It was so extreme, I double-checked. > > Wal-Mart doesn’t have loyalty cards or use coupons, and their prices are better than most any other store in my neighborhood. YMMV, but I vote with my wallet. > > There are three places to get groceries within a 30-mile radius. Two use loyalty cards, and the loyalty-card prices are NOT always the cheapest. Guess which store I patronize most often? You are absolutely correct. Loyalty card prices are often not the cheapest. Same thing with Costco. Costco is quite often not the cheapest for most things I buy there. However, usually, there are a few items that are the cheapest there, which makes the whole thing worth it, for me. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/48 "2012-10-05T00:32:46Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > The point is to make more money for the store. That is the only point. Of course it is. I’m not sure where you picked up anything different from what I said. It just so happens that the way the store makes more money is by rewarding their best customers, and encouraging their worst customers to become better customers (either by paying more, or by buying more) or go away. > [@](#): > > If you choose to sincerely believe that the store is careful to make sure they only take extra money from those customers who don’t like them very much, and then share that extra money with those customers who give them lots and lots of their own money, well then, I admire your lack of cynicism and your sunny worldview. What I said didn’t come from a lack of cynicism or a sunny worldview, or even any great love for this particular marketing strategy. (I actually hate it, and have mostly managed to avoid it, except for my BJ’s membership, which is different.) Instead, my comments come from over a decade of hands-on, real-world experience working for a company in this specific area in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/49 "2012-10-05T02:09:24Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > My dogs have quite a few loyalty cards. I never put my own information on them. So for every point you would get, do they get seven? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/50 "2012-10-05T02:18:54Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > It has been my experience that stores that heavily promote loyalty cards have the highest prices. > > … > > There are three places to get groceries within a 30-mile radius. Two use loyalty cards, and the loyalty-card prices are NOT always the cheapest. Guess which store I patronize most often? We all live in our own towns and cities, and sometimes posts like this really remind me how different life outside my own little ant farm, and to not extrapolate my experiences. Three grocery stores in 30 miles?! I’ve got 2 in walking distance, not including little bodegas, plus about a another 8-10 within 5 miles. Of course, we have a much greater population density, and stores cater to customers who tend to walk to the market. We have a lot of cheapo, sub-par supermarkets. Most of these do not use loyalty cards, but here they tend to be more expensive. We also have 4 of the larger chains nearby. They tend to have better products (meat and produce - I mean a box of Cheerios is a box of Cheerios), better selection, and often better prices. Oh, and the generic/store brand products tend to be of better quality too. Each of the 4 has a loyalty card. Someone with lots of time and an obsession (i.e. my father) could nickel and dime all stores for sales. Me, I tend to frequent the one with the best seafood department unless it is for a product I know they don’t carry (they must be the only supermarket in Queens not to carry queso fresco or crema Mexicana, and only one of the smaller markets can be relied upon to have poblano peppers). Sales seem to run a circuit through all the big chains, so with proper planning there is no need to run to different stores just for sale items. As for drug stores, all the chains have the card. Non-chain pharmacies tend to be more expensive, run less sales, and have a smaller selection. They survive on foot traffic alone. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/51 "2012-10-05T02:22:51Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > We all live in our own towns and cities, and sometimes posts like this really remind me how different life outside my own little ant farm, and to not extrapolate my experiences. Three grocery stores in 30 miles?! I’ve got 2 in walking distance, not including little bodegas, plus about a another 8-10 within 5 miles. Of course, we have a much greater population density, and stores cater to customers who tend to walk to the market. Not to mention that Walgreens has **always** been more expensive than other chain stores, whether or not they had loyalty cards. Walgreens only started their loyalty card program within the last month. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/52 "2012-10-05T03:02:00Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > how do you redeem the rewards. do they require a paw print. I don’t get any of their email or postal mail offers, it’s true, but usually I just use the cards to get in-store discounts. CVS prints rewards on the cash register receipts, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ispolkom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@Ispolkom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ispolkom)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/53 "2012-10-05T03:02:39Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Drugstores selling booze? That’s a bit surprising. What? You’ve never heard of medicinal alcohol? ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/54 "2012-10-05T03:03:36Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > So for every point you would get, do they get seven? I didn’t think of that, but they should!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/55 "2012-10-05T04:56:00Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Yeah, but think how much tail you’re gonna get when the ladies see you fanning out a spread like [this](http://terrywhite.com/techblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/cardstar-tags.jpg)! Wow! Will ya look at the key ring on this guy?! ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/56 "2012-10-05T11:45:44Z")
does giving them 867-5309 actually work? because I’ve tried random phone numbers at my grocery store and it doesn’t work. dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/57 "2012-10-05T13:21:35Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I guess y’all have never been to Las Vegas. Go into a casino, start gambling, and pretty soon you’ll have someone at your elbow asking you if you want anything to drink. Yes, she means alcoholic. Yes, she can get you just about anything you want. Yes, even at 8 AM on Sunday. No, you don’t have to pay for it (though she’ll be glad to take tips, either in cash or tokens). And she’ll keep on bringing you drinks for as long as you’re gambling. I’ve never been to Vegas, but that’s pretty much what I’d expect them to do. It’s _Vegas_. Gambling and drinking go together. Drug stores and booze, not so much. > [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Every time I went to Walgreens last week (like three or four times), someone tried to pitch me that stupid card. So now, I make sure I’m talking to someone on my phone when I get to the checkout counter. I don’t care if they have the program, but I’m sick of hearing about it. Mostly because they don’t know how to take no for an answer. When I say I’m not interested, that’s not an invitation to pitch the fucking thing AGAIN. Piss off, duders. Don’t get mad at the clerk. They’re just doing what the higher ups have decreed they do. They \*have \*to ask, and if a manager is in earshot, they damn well better ask, and in their very best Little Suzie Sunshine voice, or they’ll get in trouble. > [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > does giving them 867-5309 actually work? because I’ve tried random phone numbers at my grocery store and it doesn’t work. dammit. It will work with whatever phone number has been entered into the system. If someone in your area has entered that number (with the area code), it will work. You could take the card application, use that number, and then toss the card. Random number probably don’t work, because they’re not in the system. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/58 "2012-10-05T13:42:40Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > they really don’t give much of a shit about you anyway This is the only thing to keep in mind for businesses. As long as they can get your money, they don’t give a shit. The more irrational decisions they can get their customers to make, the better off they are. That includes CVS stocking cigarettes. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/59 "2012-10-05T18:48:10Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > It has been my experience that stores that heavily promote loyalty cards have the highest prices. > > A Walgreens came into our neighborhood a few years ago, and I did some comparison shopping. \*Every single one of a dozen items \*was priced higher at Walgreens than other stores. One common, over-the-counter drug was TWICE the price at Walgreens than Wal-Mart. It was so extreme, I double-checked. > > Wal-Mart doesn’t have loyalty cards or use coupons, and their prices are better than most any other store in my neighborhood. YMMV, but I vote with my wallet. > > There are three places to get groceries within a 30-mile radius. Two use loyalty cards, and the loyalty-card prices are NOT always the cheapest. Guess which store I patronize most often? Most of what I buy from Walgreens are prescription drugs. They cost the same there as everywhere else – the price is set by my health insurance. I go to Walgreens because they are convenient. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621/60 "2012-10-05T19:19:51Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Yeah, but think how much tail you’re gonna get when the ladies see you fanning out a spread like [this](http://terrywhite.com/techblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/cardstar-tags.jpg)! You can take off the Border’s one now. It just makes you look desperate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walgreens-has-pissed-me-off-requiring-a-loyalty-card-to-use-any-store-coupons-or-sales/636621.md?page=4)