When it comes to saving money, many people compare prices between their favorite stores. Two popular choices are Walgreens and Walmart. If you’ve ever wondered whether Walgreens offers price matching to match Walmart’s lower prices, you’re not alone. In this post, we’ll answer your question and provide tips on how to save at Walgreens without needing price matching.
What is Price Matching?
Price matching is a practice where retailers match a competitor’s price on an identical item. This means if you find a product at another store for a lower price, some retailers will offer to sell you that item at the same price.
Retailers like Target and Best Buy are known for having price-matching policies, which can help customers save money without having to shop around at different stores. But, not all retailers offer this option. Let’s explore whether Walgreens has a similar policy.
Does Walgreens Offer Price Matching?
As of 2024, Walgreens does not offer a price-matching policy. This means that if you find an item at Walmart for a lower price, Walgreens will not match that price. Unlike some retailers that have formal price-matching policies, Walgreens operates differently.
Instead of price matching, Walgreens focuses on offering other ways for customers to save, such as their rewards program, digital coupons, and weekly promotions. We’ll discuss those in detail to help you make the most of your shopping at Walgreens.
How to Save at Walgreens Without Price Matching
Although Walgreens doesn’t offer price matching, there are several other ways to save money when shopping there. By taking advantage of these savings options, you can often find deals that rival or even beat prices at other stores, including Walmart.
Walgreens Rewards Program
Walgreens offers a robust rewards program called myWalgreens. This program allows customers to earn points on their purchases, which can be redeemed for discounts on future purchases.
- How it works: Every time you shop at Walgreens, you can earn points based on the amount you spend. You can track these points through your Walgreens account, and once you accumulate enough, you can redeem them for discounts at checkout.
- Bonus offers: Sometimes, Walgreens runs special promotions where you can earn extra points on certain products or for shopping on specific days. Keep an eye on their app or website for these bonus opportunities.
By using the myWalgreens program consistently, you can save a significant amount over time, even without needing a price-matching policy.
Weekly Deals and Promotions
Walgreens is known for its weekly ads, which offer a variety of discounts and promotions on items such as personal care, health products, groceries, and more. These deals can often be comparable to prices at Walmart.
- How to access: Walgreens publishes a weekly ad online and in stores. You can browse through their current promotions to find great deals on the products you need.
- BOGO (Buy One, Get One) Offers: Walgreens frequently runs “Buy One, Get One” deals, especially on items like vitamins, beauty products, and household essentials. These offers are a great way to stock up and save more.
Checking the weekly ad before you shop ensures that you take advantage of the best deals Walgreens has to offer.
Digital Coupons at Walgreens
One of the easiest ways to save at Walgreens is by using digital coupons. Walgreens regularly updates its website and app with a wide range of coupons that can be applied to various products, from personal care to household essentials.
- How to access: Simply download the Walgreens app or visit their website to browse the available coupons. You can “clip” these digital coupons, which will automatically apply to your account.
- Convenience: Once clipped, these coupons are stored in your account and automatically applied at checkout, whether you’re shopping in-store or online.
- Common savings: Digital coupons at Walgreens often include discounts on popular brands like Colgate, L’Oréal, and Tide. In some cases, these discounts can bring the price of products close to, or even below, Walmart’s pricing.
Digital coupons are a simple, effective way to save money without needing to search for paper coupons or deal with complicated rebate programs.
Walgreens Prescription Savings Club
If you’re buying medications, the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club can offer great discounts, particularly on generic medications. This club is especially useful for people who don’t have insurance coverage or need to pay out-of-pocket for prescriptions.
- What it is: The Prescription Savings Club is a membership-based program that provides discounts on thousands of medications.
- Savings examples: Members can save on many common prescriptions, with discounts of up to 80% on some generic drugs.
- Cost: There’s a small yearly fee for joining the program, but the savings can quickly outweigh the cost, especially if you need regular prescriptions.
By joining this club, you can save significantly on your prescription medications, sometimes making Walgreens more affordable than other pharmacies.
Walmart’s Price Matching Policy
While Walgreens does not offer price matching, Walmart has a specific policy for matching prices. However, it’s important to note that Walmart’s price-matching policy only applies to online prices from select competitors and Walmart.com itself, not brick-and-mortar stores like Walgreens.
- Walmart’s Online Price Match: If you find a lower price on Walmart.com or from a few approved online retailers, Walmart may match that price for online purchases.
- In-store vs. Online: Walmart no longer offers price matching for local competitors like it used to. However, if you’re shopping online, you may be able to request a price match by contacting Walmart’s customer service.
While this doesn’t directly affect Walgreens shoppers, it’s useful information if you regularly shop at both stores and want to know how Walmart’s policy works.
Why Don’t All Retailers Offer Price Matching?
Retailers like Walgreens might not offer price matching for a variety of reasons:
- Different Business Models: Walgreens is a pharmacy and convenience store, whereas Walmart is a large-scale retailer that focuses on everyday low prices across a broad range of product categories. Walgreens tends to focus more on health-related products, prescriptions, and convenience, which means its pricing structure is different.
- Operational Costs: Offering price matching can be costly for retailers, especially those with higher overhead or operating in niche markets. Walgreens might instead focus on loyalty programs, personalized deals, and rewards rather than competing directly on price with retailers like Walmart.
- Other Benefits: Walgreens offers other ways to save, such as personalized deals through the myWalgreens program, exclusive promotions, and rewards points, which often bring prices in line with or below competitors’ prices over time.
Final Thoughts: Is Walgreens Price Matching Worth It?
To summarize, Walgreens does not price match Walmart, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save money while shopping at Walgreens. By using the myWalgreens rewards program, digital coupons, weekly ads, and the Prescription Savings Club, you can still enjoy great deals.
While price matching may not be available, these other savings options ensure that Walgreens remains competitive and offers plenty of ways to help you stretch your dollars further.
