How to score good deals at the drug store - AmericaNowNews.com

Getting good deals at the drug store

Ignore the conventional wisdom that merchandise is generally more expensive at drug stores.

Teri Gault, professional shopper and CEO of The Grocery Game (www.thegrocerygame.com), said drug stores typically drop their prices on select items as loss-leaders to get customers in the door.

"There is a desire to bring people into the doors," said Gault, "and I believe they are bringing us in because they want to get our (pharmacy business). I don't mind. I'm going to go ahead and get the deals!"

Gault gets the deals by using manufacturers' coupons, store sales, rebates from retailers' web sites and the deal-stacking strategies she revealed in our other Action News 5 specials, The Grocery Game and Undercover Savings (for those specials, please click here: http://www.wmctv.com/story/13472710/the-investigators-the-grocery-game and http://www.wmctv.com/story/13431421/the-investigators-undercover-savings).

She applies all of her tricks to what she calls the three main treasure-troves of drug stores:

* MAKE-UP/BEAUTY PRODUCTS. "Drug stores often keep beauty products at low prices because that's a 'blue item' -- something shoppers like to buy in bulk," Gault said. "Catch them on sale, add on a coupon, send away for the web rebate -- you might even get something for free. Smart shoppers are finding that drug store-brand beauty products are often just as good for one-fourth the price."

* DAILY "GOTTA HAVES." Toothpaste, body wash, eye drops, deodorant -- all are typically discounted at drug stores, according to Gault, and they are the products most likely to carry BOGO (Buy One Get One) sales.

* GROCERIES. This is the category Gault said most shoppers take for granted. They get stuck in the mind-set that groceries must be bought at a grocery store. But drugstores sell all the staples -- milk, cereal, bread, etc. -- and often carry sales on them that compete with the big grocery chains. 

Copyright 2012 America Now. All rights reserved.

  • Most Popular StoriesMost Popular Stories

  • A recent investigation revealed telemarketers and direct-mail companies sometimes receive 90 percent or more of the money people donate to charities.
    A recent investigation revealed telemarketers and direct-mail companies sometimes receive 90 percent or more of the money people donate to charities. The non-profit organizations end up with just pennies on the dollar raised through solicitation campaigns, and it's all legal. 
  • Every 19 minutes, someone dies from a prescription painkiller overdose. In fact, the number of painkiller overdose deaths in the US now exceeds the number of deaths from heroin and cocaine combined.
    Every 19 minutes, someone dies from a prescription painkiller overdose. In fact, the number of painkiller overdose deaths in the US now exceeds the number of deaths from heroin and cocaine combined. America Now goes inside the epidemic!
  • SOURCE: Thinkstock
    About 12 Americans die every year from venomous snake bites. But hundreds more are bitten and survive only because they receive life-saving antivenin in the nick of time.
    Flooding can bring snakes to the surface of your yard, but this one is especially dangerous! America Now Expert Jules Sylvester shows how you can spot it, and what to do if you get bitten.
Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and America Now. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.