Troubles with RiteAid $128 Coupon Booklet

As I knew would happen, people asking for the $128 Coupon booklet at RiteAid are told, no, they have to get a flu shot to get it. That's wrong. Before you go,print this page and highlight two different lines. First highlight:
you'll get up to $100 in Rite Aid savings3 

 

then highlight the footnote at the bottom ---
3 No purchase necessary. While supplies last.
No purchase necessary means you don't have to buy the flu shot. While supplies last means they may run out of booklets. The sad thing is that most of these booklets will go to waste hidden under the counter or in a box in the back room. Some employees will tell you they never got any. Not true, all the stores got them, but if they are in an unopened box pushed back in a storeroom corner, that treasure will go to waste.

Which brings up a ramble that you can feel free to skip. After you've been a serious couponer for awhile, you'll discover a wide range of competency among store employees. Some employees are there only for the paycheck. They don't read the weekly sales flier, they don't care about the promotions, they don't care if there is a coupon booklet or not. They will brush you off with a lazy answer you know is not true. Oh, we didn't get any of those  or This store isn't participating or You won't get the Register Reward if you used a coupon. This person makes up funky rules on the spot -- any answer to make you go away. On the other end of the spectrum is the smart employee who takes customer service seriously. This person will actually go into the back room to see if they can find what you need, and will actually come up with the product or coupon booklet or sales flier or monthly rebate booklet. This person is knowledgeable about the weekly sales and knows where to find the items on the shelf. This person seems happy for your deals and compliments you. This person knows the store rules and doesn't make up new ones to get rid of you. In the middle of this spectrum is the average employee who is some help but not really into pleasing the customer. Asking for a manager is no guarantee of good service. Some are great, some are horrible, just like the clerks. It's such a joy when you happen upon a good employee who knows her/his stuff. When I
find a great employee, I often take a moment to memorize the person's name, then I email a glowing report to corporate via their website, giving lots of details about how helpful and knowledgeable the person was.
It's my way of rewarding and reinforcing excellent service.

For those who run ads in the print RefundCents, there is a person, A. Johns, Box 777, Wash BRG, New York, NY 10033, who may answer your ad in a bizarre way. This person has not been a subscriber since 2002, but is getting a hold of issues. He/she will send you junky materials you didn't request and demand things in return. I have written to A. Johns and requested that he/she stop responding to ads in RefundCents, but ultimately I can't control it. If this person sends you something that doesn't match your ad, you have no obligation to send him/her anything, nor do you have to return his/her materials. I hope everyone stops responding to A. Johns, so maybe he/she will get the hint. I've gotten 3 complaints this month that A. Johns is back. As I said, the person hasn't been a subscriber for 8 years, but I suspect he/she has subscribed under a different name.