$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.