$30 in free gas for new/transferred prescription at Giant Eagle

Summary:

• Up to $30 in Free Gas ($1 in FuelPerks per prescription, 30 gallons)
  
• New or transferred
  
• Expires 1/21/2009
• This week's Giant Eagle sales flyer in 7 Central Ohio locations

In the sales flyer that premiered today as doors reopened at several Central Ohio locations of Giant Eagle was their awesome coupon for up to $30 worth of free/discounted gas.  Each new/transferred prescription earning you $1 in FuelPerks.  And when you redeem each $3 in FuelPerks, you earn 3% in Food(/Rx) Perks.  After getting 200 gallons of free gas, you've reached the maximum 20% off a purchase of up to $300 at Giant Eagle -- groceries or prescriptions -- for an additional savings of $60.

So with current gas prices at about $1.50, taking 30 prescriptions there (with these coupons) over the next few months (within 90-day period), you get 200 free gallons of gas (thanks to FuelPerks earned from just the coupons -- faster with 20 cents in FuelPerks per $50 spent on Rx co-pays and groceries) plus get to save $60 on groceries or prescriptions when you cash in the FoodPerks earned by pumping gas (that was free thanks to FuelPerks).  Wow!  What a deal, eh?

Plus, they do not limit you to ONE per person/household/family or ONE per day with THEIR coupons like this ... at least not at locations where I have shopped.  I have heard that the Hayden & Cosgray location cuts the coupons out of their sales flyers that lay out for people to pick up at door and keep them "hostage" at the customer service desk.  There's a sign that tells you to ask them for one.  The most they'll let you have is two.  And at their pharmacy there's a sign that says they limit you to one coupon per the life of a prescription.  That appears to be a local exception by that pharmacist and/or store's general manager.

Remember, NOT ALL locations have this coupon in the sales flyer and even if you live near one of the locations I identify below as having them in their sales flyer, you may not live in the right zip code (bulk mail zone) to get the one with the coupon vs. the basic one with just an ad for the pharmacy sans coupon.

Here are Giant Eagle locations to look between now (Dec. 26) and next Wednesday (Dec. 31) for these coupons:

East Whittier Street Giant Eagle
280 E. Whittier Street
Columbus, OH 43206

Hamilton & Route 33 Giant Eagle
3841 S. Hamilton Road
Groveport, OH 43125

Hayden & Cosgray Giant Eagle
6700 Hayden Run Road
Dublin, OH 43026

Lancaster Giant Eagle

1394 Ety Shops Way

Lancaster, OH 43130

[NOTE: Coupon says it is valid *only* at Lancaster location]

Lincoln Village Giant Eagle

4780 West Broad Street

Columbus, OH 43228

McCutcheon & Stelzer Giant Eagle

2900 Stelzer Road

Columbus, OH 43219

New Albany Giant Eagle

5461 New Albany Road West

New Albany, OH 43054

The front of the flyer says "Happy New Year" at top of first regular-size page. The short wrap-around pages promote FuelPerks and it appears the Rx coupon is on last page of that wrap-around section.

See this example of one of the flyers with an Rx coupon and go to page 16.

Where else will take this?  Well, because it's "FuelPerks" being given away and many competing pharmacies don't have a gas station, they'll just say they don't honor this even if they usually accept competitors' coupons.  Try CVS.  Some will give you a gift card for $30.  Others will say to bring them a recent receipt for buying gas locally and they'll redeem up to $30 when you present the coupon and a new/transferred prescription (not filled with them before perhaps as another stipulation). My Wal*Mart turned it down when I last tried about a year ago. Can't stand that place anyway. ;-)  Didn't bother to try Meijer.  Dislike that place even more.

COMMENTARY:  To thank Giant Eagle for being the most generous and courteous when it comes to incentives to take your Rx purchases there, I recommend you leave them there for at least a few refills before Rx Ping-Pong'ing elsewhere.  Otherwise, their ROI reports will likely cause them to act more like some of the others who are rarely issuing coupons, refusing to taking any competitor coupons (or cutting people off for life after a certain number redeemed), or limiting any single coupon of their own to a "once per person/family" deal -- penalizing those customers with the biggest # of prescriptions to buy (seemingly, the customers these stores would most want to attract ... especially as some of those are likely to be expensive/profitable).  Just a thought.  I've tried to do more refills at locations that have given me the best customer service and/or best coupons and/or coupon redemption policies.

Kroger $20 in free groceries for Rx transfer to 2/07/09

Kroger has a 4-page sales flyer (that showed up in same bag on Columbus, Ohio,  doorsteps as Meijer ad/coupon mentioned in previous blog entry) that focuses on promoting items at their pharmacy and includes a coupon that says:

"Get $20.00 in FREE GROCERIES when you transfer your prescription to Kroger! Bring this offer, along with your KrogerPlus card, to your local Kroger Pharmacy to redeem. Limit (1) one per household.  Coupon is not transferable or for resale."

(I added emphasis/bolding to "transfer" because some Kroger and competitor locations/pharmacies/pharmacists are very particular about ONLY taking a transfer when it does not specifically say "new or transfer" in the wording.)

Expiration date = 2/7/09.

Effective sale prices for other items in the sales flyer are 12/28/08 to 1/10/09.  It looks like flyers that have also been included in The Columbus Dispatch on Sundays in the past although they often were only stuffed into those in certain delivery "zones" -- areas they may have higher competition or newer competition for pharmacy/grocery business ... or have lost higher market share than others.  May be worth checking your local UDF/Speedway's rack to see if it has one (if you're not a subscriber); and, if it's not there, go to one near one of the newer Giant Eagle stores (Hilliard, New Albany, etc.).  Dublin area and Bethel/Sawmill usually pretty good bet.

USE ELSEWHERE? Stores likely to accept this as a competitor coupon: Giant Eagle (limit 1); CVS; Wal-Mart, Meijer (maybe). Not going to accept: Target and Walgreen's.

Meijer in Columbus = lame Rx coupon ($10 off $20 future health/beauty purchase)

It's almost not worth mentioning. I usually don't.  But Meijer's Pharmacy is offering a coupon of sorts in its most recent sales flyer that showed up in the bag dropped at my doorstep today.

It offers you a $10 savings on a future purchase of $20 or more at Meijers on health or beauty items.  You need to bring a new or transferred prescription to them with the coupon by its 1/31/09 expiration.

Limit one coupon per family (is part of the very small fine print).  It's on back page (at top right) of flyer that says "A Once-A-Year Party ..." on front with some ribs and sauerkraut (yuck!) and dip and beer and pop on front.

See previous postings regarding which other pharmacies may honor a competitor's coupon (and what limitations they impose).  Because of the "purchase required for redemption" -- making it more of a rebate than gift card or Rx "bonus/rewards" -- some may not accept it.  Try: Giant Eagle, CVS, Kroger, and Wal*Mart.  Don't try Walgreen's or Target (they don't accept any competitors' coupons now.)

CVS $25 gift card coupon in Sunday Columbus Dispatch 12/21

Full-page ad in The Columbus Dispatch on page H6 (back of the Insight section) touts that you can "get a $25 gift card with a new or transferred prescription to CVS/pharmacy."

In the fine print:

* Limit one gift card per customer per visit.

And, a bit of a twist on "new prescription" terms I haven't seen elsewhere in Rx coupons:

* Coupon only valid for prescriptions transferred from another non-CVS/pharmacy, or for new prescriptions, that have not been previously filled at any CVS/pharmacy.

It expires 1/24/09 and is "Valid in Ohio stores only."  If you didn't get a paper Sunday or need another, Giant Eagle stores keep Sunday papers in stock throughout the week until they sell out. Dollar Tree stores may also have these beyond Sunday.

Where else can you use these?

* Giant Eagle will accept ONE of THESE through 1/24/09 under their new competitor coupon acceptance limitations.  They don't advertise they take competitor coupons (signs or ads) so I don't think it's any big deal they're being a bit more picky; especially since they have no limits on accepting their own generous New/Transfer coupons for Gas Perks ($1 each).  One location, though (Hilliard), has a sign that says it will only honor 1 coupon per life of a prescription.  That may just be a certain pharmacy manager or store manager making unilateral, arbitrary restrictions.  That same location cuts out their own coupons from their weekly sales flyers and keeps them "hostage" at the customer service counter where they will only let you have one or two.

* WalMart probably (one a day probably; haven't shopped there lately)

* Meijer (one a day ... maybe one/month; haven't shopped there lately)

* Kroger (one per customer per day; ask pharmacist for details -- they should hand you a one-page list of their many restrictions; also ask how soon your "Rx Rewards" will expire (perhaps 30, 60 or 90 days vs. gift card listed in the competitor's coupon that should last at least a year if not indefinitely under Ohio law) ... and whether you can use a portion of them at a time (like with the gift card) or whether you have to use it all at once ... and whether this is different at regular checkout lane vs. self-scan checkout.

DO NOT take COMPETITOR COUPONS:

* Walgreen's

* Target

LIMIT THEIR OWN COUPONS:

* Walgreen's (1 per person "per promotion" ... in other words, until the expiration date on coupon you used, or "per person per life" depending on which pharmacist/location you speak with)

* Kroger (same 1 per person per day limit; they might ban you from using coupons at pharmacy after a certain number according to a former employee of theirs who I spoke with; see notes above about Rx Rewards "lifespan" and "redemption" questions not clarified by any documentation I've seen lately).