Register Rewards Replaces Walgreens EasySaver

Regular readers of my smart-shopping columns know how upset I was when Walgreens discontinued its EasySaver program. The drug-store chain replaced it with a new program called Register Rewards, and after using to for a few months, I still miss the EasySaver program. I am still unhappy with Walgreens' decision to cancel EasySaver, and this one last time I point out the differences in the two programs, which are:

Walgreens delivered its EasySaver savings opportunities in a monthly coupon catalog available online and in stores. The catalog was free to all, and it did not require a purchase to receive. Register Rewards are coupons printed with your receipt, which means you only get them when you make a purchase. Also, say you purchase more than one stick of deodorant, because you know there is a valuable coupon that comes with its purchase. In order to get multiples of the coupon, you have to request that the purchases be done separately. This proves to be a hassle not only for the shopper but for the sales clerk, as well. We've all stood in line behind the customer who does this and thought, just move on and give up the pennies you will save so that I can get out of here.

In addition to being more convenient, I also found the EasySaver program to be more generous than Register Rewards. The latter has many restrictions, ruling out savings opportunities for a variety of items. Such items include prescriptions, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, dairy products, transportation passes, special event/entertainment tickets or passes, postage stamps, gift cards, phone cards and health care services, including immunizations. Not only did Walgreens cancel EasySaver and replace it with a less convenient one, but a more restrictive as well.

To be fair, one drawback to the EasySaver program has been eliminated with Register Rewards. Receiving savings required saving and sending receipts to EasySaver headquarters once a month. Register Rewards happen at the register in the store. I do miss the additional rebate amount I received by requesting my savings on a Walgreens gift card, but my home is no longer filled with receipts waiting to be sent off.

I have complained about the switch from EasySaver to Register Rewards for months now, encouraging readers to complain every time they went into one of the drugstore chain's many locations. Walgreens won't be reversing its decision to cancel EasySaver anytime soon, though, so it is my goal to embrace Register Rewards so that I can better instruct readers how to use it to its fullest. Consider this my last rant about the loss of the EasySaver program.