CVS Haul Week of 6/2/2013

So today was an interesting shopping trip! I went to CVS with a couple things in mind and coupons in hand. As always, I took full advantage of a couple extra care buck deals this week. This week at CVS, when you buy any Physicians Formula cosmetic item worth equal or greater than 7.49, you get a 7.00 ECB. Also, when you buy an Oral B cross action tooth brush or select Colgate total mouthwash, you get 2.00 ECB each. I also did the CVS body wash deal posted about earlier this week.

Break Down: (including weekly sales)
1 CVS brand Fresh Body Wash = 2.37
1 Oral B Cross Action Tooth Brush (normally 9.99, on sale this week for 5.99) x1= 5.99
1 Colgate Total Spearmint 16.9 oz (normally 5.79, on sale this week for 4.99) x1= 4.99
1 Physicians Formula Last Boosting Mascara (with BONUS, fullsized mascara)= 10.49

Coupons:
2 off any cosmetic purchase of 10 or more (CVS mnf q) from Magic Coupon Machine
1 off any Colgate mouthwash 8 oz or larger (CVS store q)
2 off any Colgate mouthwash 8 oz or larger (mnf q)
3 off any Oral B Cross Action Tooth Brush (mnf q)
1 Free select CVS Body Wash q, max value 2.57 (CVS store q)

Final Outcome:
1 CVS brand Fresh Body Wash = 2.37 (-2.37 store q)= free!
1 Oral B Cross Action Tooth Brush (normally 9.99, on sale this week for 5.99) x1= 5.99 (-3.00 mnf q)= 2.99, receive 2 ECB
1 Colgate Total Spearmint 16.9 oz (normally 5.79, on sale this week for 4.99) x1= 4.99 (-2.00 mnf q, - 1.00 store q)= 1.99, receive 2 ECB
1 Physicians Formula Last Boosting Mascara (with BONUS, fullsized mascara)= 10.49 (-2.00 store q)= 8.49, receive 7 ECB

13.47 -8 ECB from previous purchase = 5.47

Grand Total:
Subtotal: 5.47
Tax: 1.80
Total: 7.27 w/ 11 ECB

Okay! So here's where things got interesting. My original total was 9.27. So I was sitting in my car, looking over my receipt (always a good thing to do before leaving the store) and found a miscellaneous charge on my receipt for "1 taxable item." I'd never seen that on my receipt before. My receipt also stated there was a total of 5 items bought so I went through my shopping bag and shrugged my shoulders. Then I realized that there was no deduction for my $1 off any Colgate mouthwash (CVS store q) and instead there was a $1 charge for an item that didn't exist. My guess was that when my cashier went to manually enter that coupon (it beeped), she accidentally charged an extra dollar, instead of taking one off. I went back inside and explained what I thought had happened to my cashier. She said that yea that made sense since there was no deduction for the $1 off q and gave me two dollars back for the $1 extra she charged me and the $1 she was supposed to have taken off. And then I realized this would be a great thing to mention in my blog, a really good learning experience! Before you leave the store, check your receipt against what's in your shopping bag. Maybe your cashier forgot to enter a coupon. Or maybe the amount entered in was wrong. Be thorough and exact with your numbers the first time and you'll save yourself an extra trip to CVS!

So in total, out of pocket, my transaction cost me $7.29 for all that stuff.
A haul which included one mechanical toothbrush, one body wash, one mouthwash, and two tubes of mascara. :) And the best part is that I have $11 of store credit I can use for next week's purchase! Since I put 8 ECB in from last week and got 11 ECB out this week, $3 of my transaction, is being recycled again next week (keep in mind, you can never make money, but you can RECYCLE it). So technically, what I actually paid for today's transaction was $4.29 and $1.80 of that was tax!! Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.