[Judybats]

The rumor is that there will no more RR come September. Walgreen's is supposed to be introducing a new Loyalty Card with changes made based on the test markets.

Have any of you all heard this? Does anyone have confirmation? I hope this is not true!

If you have info... please share!!

[laquaya]

yes asked the store manager he said yes... as well as june 17th ads lasting 2weeks

[Superpop]

Originally Posted by Judybats

The rumor is that there will no more RR come September. Walgreen's is supposed to be introducing a new Loyalty Card with changes made based on the test markets.

Have any of you all heard this? Does anyone have confirmation? I hope this is not true!

If you have info... please share!!

I hope this it's true. (but in the end it does depend on how the card loyalty program will actually work)

It sounds like Walgreens is going to become more like CVS and put limits out.

This will not only be easier to use than RR because people won't have to buy "filler" items to use RR but it will also stop people with 500 coupons clearing shelves at all stores in the A.M. on Sunday.



EDIT: I just googled about this and it isn't looking pretty. I take back what I said earlier! $1 spent = 10 points and 1000 points = $1 to use! So it sounds like you have to spend $100 to earn a $1....that is horrible. Thank God I live near a CVS!

To make matters worse apparently the points will be tacked on AFTER coupons meaning you actually have to pay $100 OOP to get $1 to spend!

[sonatinaclef]

Originally Posted by Superpop

EDIT: I just googled about this and it isn't looking pretty. I take back what I said earlier! $1 spent = 10 points and 1000 points = $1 to use! So it sounds like you have to spend $100 to earn a $1....that is horrible. Thank God I live near a CVS!

To make matters worse apparently the points will be tacked on AFTER coupons meaning you actually have to pay $100 OOP to get $1 to spend!

I love when you said thank For I live near a CVS. Their point system sounds horrible.

[manywillenter]

CVS has their 2% of quarterly spending rewards program in addition to the ecbs issued on products purchased. Walgreens won't even be competitve right from the "get go" it seems. I wonder why they even bother setting up a loyalty card program that offers such a poor incentive to shoppers. Obviously they plan to advertise and promote their new loyalty card. They should at least match CVS if not better CVS's incentives.

[marvholly]

I live in metro Chicago.

One of my local bloggers posted about the death of RR & beginning of the loyalty cards about a week ago. I warned my 2 fav CVS mgrs but, since I did not see it posted anywhere else, I was beginning to wonder if it was true and warned of this too.

I did point out to both CVS mgrs that the 'new' program was absolutely HATED in the test markets and if CVS was smart (and Rite Aid where it exists) they could really grab a HUGE market share.

[willows]

Not loving this at all. But knew it was coming the minute they did the test areas. Sigh, it was great while it lasted!

[inbigdebt]

I was in the KC test market when they tried this system last year. I was glad to get the RRs back at the beginning of the year, but it is quite frustrating to deal with shelf clearers. The points systems wasn't too bad and there were plenty of "bonus" point opportunities that were close to the same as RRs. Don't know if it will be different, but it had some up sides as it was. If that's the way they go, I will just deal with it. No reason to P&M, it is what it is. I'll just figure it out.

[sammiekay101]

I would die.......and I would never go back again if it was set up that way. I would have to learn cvs and kmart better.

[Charmedonez]

I just googled to try and read about it and din't find to much but did find a post about where there will be a $20 charge for the card....what the heck....I will not pay for a card to shop there especially when my store is always out of products even as soon as they open the doors Sunday morning (mine is not a 24 hour store).

[inbigdebt]

Originally Posted by Charmedonez

I just googled to try and read about it and din't find to much but did find a post about where there will be a $20 charge for the card....what the heck....I will not pay for a card to shop there especially when my store is always out of products even as soon as they open the doors Sunday morning (mine is not a 24 hour store).

That sounds like the prescription card. I would find it hard to believe they would charge for a loyalty card.

[at1120]

Wonder why they are changing to it if its not liked in the test area what makes them think its a better deal than RRs? I mean they will be loosing lots of customers (couponers anyway)

[Sunbladedrgn]

Interesting, I've asked 3 of the SMs at the stores near me about this and all 3 said, without hesitation, that this will NOT be happening. Each one said the same thing...the company tried it in the test markets...it failed...and the whole program was scrapped. I'll have to ask them about it again just to make doubly sure. If they do go to this kind of point system, I think we'll be seeing the death of Wags as well as RRs.

[sammiekay101]

I hope it is scrapped, I am so excited for this years Black Friday sales since I am better at this now . I was hoping for some great deals this time.

[Chica163]

I don't care too much for wags. CVS has my heart! However, wags does occasionally lure me in with their deals. If they switch to the system as stated above, I might finally be done with wags!

[Losingitagain]

When I was asking my SM to see if he had any extra Ecotrin in the back, he told me that they all received the email last week announcing the demise of the RR and the resurrection of the loyalty card that was abandoned a few months ago in the test markets. He didn't seem happy about the loyalty cards because he believes his volume will decline tremendously and they live and die by increasing their volume from same period last year.

[belleofhteball]

It's not a rumor, it's a fact. Loyalty cards are coming. There will be points on some items, and RR's on others, just as it was in the test market. There will also be limits imposed per card.

There will NOT be a charge for the loyalty card. It's like CVS and Rite Aid. You just sign up and they issue you a card.

[mountaindews]

I am sad about this too. I only have Walmart and Walgreens here locally. They are building a CVS, but I loved my RR's from Walgreens. Like another OP...I was lloking forward to Black Friday I did sooooo good last year and was really hoping to do that and then some this year! But I guess just like with everything else...at first we hate change, then we learn to live with it!

[Charmedonez]

Originally Posted by inbigdebt

That sounds like the prescription card. I would find it hard to believe they would charge for a loyalty card.

I hope not but that's what I read when I googled...someone said while they was checking out the cashier asked if they wanted a loyalty card at the discount price of $5 and that they would be $20 the next day or so. I don't know much about Walgreens cuz they are always out of stock on stuff just on the rare occasion they may have what your after.

[mandy_renee13158]

Originally Posted by Charmedonez

I hope not but that's what I read when I googled...someone said while they was checking out the cashier asked if they wanted a loyalty card at the discount price of $5 and that they would be $20 the next day or so. I don't know much about Walgreens cuz they are always out of stock on stuff just on the rare occasion they may have what your after.

This is the prescription savings card. I think it was in January they had a promotion where you could get it for $5. This is NOT the loyalty card that is supposedly coming out in September.

I forsee this being the start of the demise of Walgreens. I HATE stores with point systems. I like how Walgreens has it right now. One of the store managers near me has told me several times that if it wasn't for couponers and the RR program, Walgreens would simply fail in the retail department.

[Sunbladedrgn]

I checked with one of my SMs tonight and he said that it does look like they'll be doing a Loyalty Card. There was NO email or message sent to the stores (at least none of the stores up here) and none of the managers have any information on the loyalty card (other than the hearsay going around). This SM has said he's hoping it gets killed quickly because he too HATES loyalty cards.

[dhwriter]

Is Walgreens just TRYING to go out of business? No Express Scripts, new frustrating malfunctioning registers, and now points. It's sad when RiteAid looks more promising than Walgreens!

[delsol1]

I would hope that maybe they will have some great deals to jump start the new program in the beginning. It sounds annoying to me. I'm just trying to shop and save a few bucks, not deal with points, etc That's why I don't go to RiteAid, simple and straight-forward or I don't want to play.....

[willows]

It's coming folks...supposedly with some "tweaking" done to make it better than it was with the test marketing. I agree with an above poster...are they trying to lose more customers or what? Express scripts has crippled them and now they are going to lose so many loyal RR customers who are not looking forward to this "loyalty" card. Black Friday was fun while it lasted!

[Charmedonez]

Originally Posted by mandy_renee13158

This is the prescription savings card. I think it was in January they had a promotion where you could get it for $5. This is NOT the loyalty card that is supposedly coming out in September.

Thank you! I wasn't sure when I read it and I also didn't know they had a prescription card til another poster said maybe it was this.