Trying out a new London Drugs location - Marine & Byrne

I'd heard that London Drugs had opened up a new store in Burnaby on Marine and Byrne and had not gotten a chance to go but as I had to go to the airport today I thought I'd stop by and "test" it out and see what kind of customer service I would receive there.

I found the location easily, and found ample parking, and got a cart easily.

The store itself is a nice size, bright, clean and relatively quiet. I was there on a Friday afternoon around 3pm. Their shelves seemed well-stocked, and they had a good number of staff around. I approached the customer service desk and said,"I have a question about pricematching."

To which the CS person groaned and said,"oh no, pricematching, we don't like pricematching!"

I was slightly shocked, but in that same breath the CS person said,"I'm kidding!"

She was very nice and answered my question (no limits unless indicated on the flyer), and off I went shopping. I bought 6 Old Spice Bodywashes, 2 Old Spice antiperspirants, 4 Cascade Action Pacs (I know, read this post), 2 Clorox Wipes and 2 Clorox spray cleaners.

I approached the CS desk and the same CS lady rubbed her hands together and said,"Ok, give me your best shot!"

I had pricematching from Zellers and Pharmasave as well as LD-priced items, and I must say, the pricematching process was one of the smoothest I've ever experienced. There were 2 staff at the CS desk helping me (no line ups behind me), and their attitudes were positive, their rapport with one another seemed wonderful and I felt very welcome as a couponer at the cs desk.

They handled my stack of coupons professionally as if they see them often (which apparently they do), and although the CS person missed out $3 worth of coupons, once I pointed that out to her, she apologized and quickly fixed the error.

Throughout the whole process, the cashier did not seem flustered nor upset, rather, she was very welcoming and treated me like a customer (and you'll notice I do not call myself a "regular customer" vs a "couponing customer") should be treated. There was a good stream of conversation and I left quite pleased.

My highlights:
- staff were courteous, well-informed and customer focused
- staff had a sense of humour
- staff had pride in their work (evident when I told her I'd heard good things about their store, and she high fived her colleague)
- products were in stock, pricematched with no problems
- advertised products were in stock

The downside:
- CS person missed $3 worth of coupons. Another reason to have your lists/coupons ready and documented before you start your shopping!
- I suppose to the CS person I looked like someone who can take a joke, because otherwise her "we don't like pricematching" comment might have seemed odd/rude.

I do recommend the Marine and Byrne location, and regret that I did not get the names of the 2 ladies at CS who helped me. I may call in tomorrow to let their manager know that I appreciated the good service I received today.

Here's the location if you are in the area (scroll down to the bottom).

Here's a little challenge for you Extreme Shoppers this week: if you receive good service at the store of your choice, why not let a manager know?

And in case you were wondering, I ended up paying $6.14 for the items, out of which $5.38 was tax, so I actually paid .76cents for all the items (before tax).

Save $5 on Glade wyb SCJohnson - London Drugs!

There is a coupon from London Drugs here for $5 off any Glade product when you buy 3 SC Johnson products. This is a great deal especially if you use coupons for the SC Johnson products as well!

Don't forget to also use the $5 wyb 3 SCJ coupon peelies that can be found on some SCJ products such as the Scrubbing Bubbles.

Please note, I'm posting this with a caveat as LD has a policy that printable coupons are to have a max value of $2, but this coupon is currently found on both the LD Facebook page as well as on LD website itself. I called LD HQ and they did not know of any change to this policy (although I have heard it may be under review to change... if so then YAY). I was transferred to my local LD branch and they didn't know either. So... hmmm.

***UPDATE*** Store managers have discretion to accept printable coupons over $2. I spoke with a manager from the Coq Ctr branch and was advised if the coupon from from the LD site they will accept it with no issues. If you have any issues tell them the coupon was from the LD site and ask for a manager to approve it. You might also want to take a screenshot of the PDF from the LD site and print that just so you can prove it came from the LD site.

Anyway, the coupon is a manufacturer coupon so it can be used elsewhere if LD does not accept it. Which would be strange since it's on their FB and website.

Free Gillette Fusion from London Drugs!

Easy way to get a free Gillette Fusion sample, from the London Drugs facebook page:
Bring in your old Gillette Mach 3 or Gillette Sensor razor to our customer service desk and get a FREE sample Gillette Fusion Razor. While quantities last.

Breathe Right and a London Drugs connection

Have you noticed that when you are searching for someone on Facebook, that there could be many versions of their name? For example, London Drugs: there is LondonDrugs (the Company), London Drugs (the Company - only difference is the space between London and Drugs), and London Drugs (the Organization)!

The reason I bring this up is that last week, one of the London Drugs fanned or "liked" the MrsSmith Facebook page! That is fun stuff, folks! I'm thrilled because when I clicked back on the London Drugs icon, I found a great blog that I'm going to share with you. Please note, I did not receive any incentives to tell you about this blog, I'm just sharing with you because it has to do with London Drugs and I actually enjoy the writings of the blog author.

The blog I'm referring to is Ken's Kool. It's penned by a buyer for London Drugs, and includes behind the scenes information about LD, and also includes updates on new products being sold at LD. But you are saying, that's good, but are there coupons on the blog? I was delighted to find out, and to report that yes, there are coupons on the blog!

Here's a few I've found:
$4 Breathe Right coupon
Dr.Scholl Skin Tag Remover
$2 off Cold F-X

Mr.Vannucci also has a Kenskool Facebook page here.

I'm looking forward to see what else he posts about, and hopefully he'll have more of those exclusive coupons to share. After all, that's what gets us into London Drugs, right? ;)

London Drugs Mother's Day event (on Saturday)

From the London Drugs Facebook page:

Come celebrate Mom (or that special someone in your life) and all that she is to you at London Drugs Lougheed Mall on Saturday, May 8th. We have many exciting events happening that day including:

- A Lise Waiter makeover with a representative (call 604-448-4825 to book your appointment)
- Hand and Ankle Henna
- Face, Eye Brow and Upper Lip Threading
- An Epson demo showing you how easy it is to print photos at home.
- An up to date look at point and shoot digital cameras and Video cameras complete with an under water demo.
- Free gift wrapping on your Mother's Day purchase in store.
- $20-$150 London Drugs Cosmetic Gift Cards free with the purchase of select Televisions.
- Hourly draws for exciting gift baskets (enter to win with every purchase)
- Free samples and gifts for everyone.
- Special pricing on select lap tops helping you get ready for the summer/fall school year.
- A demonstration on ordering photo books on line from the comfort of your own home.

Win a Molly Maid service for a year!

London Drugs is holding a contest to Make Mom Queen for a Year - by offering Molly Maid services for a year! To enter, go here, download the entry form and deposit the form in the cosmetic department at any LD store by May 9 2010. Contest is good for BC, AB, SK and MB only.

The "never-ending" Kelloggs cereal deal

A while ago, I blogged about it. I watched the stores and waited and waited, and seriously did a little dance in the aisle when finally I found my first box of Mini Wheats with the free product coupon (FPC) at my local Walmart.

I bought it after pricematching, for $2.97 and excitedly cut out the FPC from the box.

The FPC is for free Rice Krispies, Corn Pops and Froot Loops (selected sizes).

I waited to use the FPC because I wanted to "roll" the coupon, meaning if I could use it on a box with another FPC for cereal on it, I could technically end up just paying for 1 box and end up with an endless supply of cereal.

This week, I found the specially marked boxes for Corn Pops. So off I went and got a box at LD, for free. I then cut the FPC from that box, and rolled it into getting yet another box for free. Over and over I did this deal, until I ended up with 7 free boxes of Corn Pops today (6 are shown in this picture and one in the post below). PLUS, because I started with one FPC, I now have one FPC left over, which I will wait to use when the Froot Loops/Rice Krispies specially marked boxes come out.

Enjoy this deal, but remember not to clear your store shelves all at once!

This deal is good until August, which gives me plenty of time to wait for those boxes of Froot Loops/Rice Krispies/Frosted Flakes. It's a good thing my kids love to eat cereal!

Note: There are other FPCs on the boxes as well for free yogurt, bananas, juice and milk, I've just decided the never-ending cereal was a deal I would rather do now, so I could "roll" the coupons.

Shop with MrsSmith - a lesson at LD

I was out in Burnaby today and decided to do a quick shop at LD - totally off the fly, with no preparation in advance. This was easy to do because I've read my flyers, and I knew what coupons I had. For all you newbie Extreme Shoppers, I promise that working out deals will get easier with time, the more you extreme shop, the easier it becomes. Plus, this deal was easy because I was not pricematching, I was just buying items advertised in the LD flyer.

I decided to work this deal:
- 2 free VH sauces
- 1 free Kelloggs cereal
- 6 free Knorr soups

Since these are food items, I knew there would be no tax, so I knew I would end up paying nothing after coupons.

So off I went with my items up to the customer service counter. I handed over my coupons and waited patiently to get my receipt.

I was surprised when the cs rep handed me back 3 of my coupons, each worth $1, and told me,"I can't take these, Ma'am, you'll have to use them next time."

I asked her why, as I had worked my deals and coupons so that they could all be used to get my balance to zero.

She said,"I can't let you have these for free."

I asked,"why not? I have coupons to go with these items to get them all free."

She then said again,"you can't get things for free. That's not how we deal with coupons here."

I calmly told her she was wrong and that their policy allowed the deals I was getting. She started to argue, and so I asked for the manager. All calmly, because I knew the policy, and I knew getting upset would not help.

She called for the manager, almost tapping her foot as she waited for an answer. When he came on the phone, she proceeded to tell him about the situation, almost as if she was reporting me. I watched her as she listened to what he said, and there was almost a 100% change in her facial expression. That was then I said a silent "thank you, Mr.Manager."

She got off the phone and rang in my coupons. I thanked her for checking and her attitude took a complete turnaround. She said she had to check to avoid getting into trouble. But I knew she had decided not to use my coupons because somewhere in her training she had been told,"the customer cannot NOT pay anything - they have to pay the tax." This is true especially in cases of overage where the coupons would cover the tax, which is not supposed to happen according to LD corporate coupon policy. But in my case, the items were food, and there was no tax. So she took it upon herself to not use some of my coupons so I would in effect have something to pay. But the problem with that is, where did one draw the line? I could have asked her,"why didn't you stop at $1, why did you stop at $3?" So obviously her method was flawed.

The point of all this rambling is that if you know your store's policy, you will always be ok. Treat the cashier/rep kindly because getting upset doesn't do anything. Having the store policy in writing in your purse will go a long way. Don't bother arguing - just take out the policy and refer to it. There is some chatter on the MrsSmith FB wall where there is currently some confusion happening at checkout so I thought today's post would be timely. I will say it over and over and over in class, but just in case you didn't hear it in class, I'll say it here again: "know your policy and treat the cashier kindly."

Just in case you are wondering how to get any store's policies - just contact them, and ask for the policy in writing (ie via email).

I ended up doing a second transaction at the same store with the same cashier, who rang me through with a pleasant and helpful attitude the 2nd time around. :)

Getting off my soapbox now.

HOT - Last day for cheap/free Mr.Clean!!

I love Mr.Clean products. Especially the Magic Eraser. My kids love them too and this mama especially loves the days when my kids decide that their bathroom needs a "Mr.Clean Makeover" - and then go to town scrubbing everything in sight.

This week's Walmart flyer expires today, and so goes with it the $2 price for Mr.Clean products. So if you are needing some Mr.Clean products, you have until the stores close tonight to get in on this great price.

I went to London Drugs and saved $2.60 PER spray/liquid and $1.49 per Magic Eraser right off the bat.

Then of course came the coupon savings which was $32!

I got 4 sprays, 4 liquids and 8 2-pack Magic Erasers for nothing but tax which was $3.84! Got to love Extreme Shopping! The (male) cashier was so awesome and said,"I really take my hat off to you," and even asked where to get coupons and of course I referred him here! :)

If I had walked into LD and bought all these off the shelf it would have cost me $73.29 (inclusive of tax) but instead I walked out only paying $3.84. That is a 94.77% savings! Of course, If there was no tax then I would have 100% savings.

Happy cleaning days are here again!

PS I just *may* be giving away some Mr.Clean soon... and you just *may* want to make sure you're a blog follower. :)

Friday Freebie - $10 London Drugs giftcard!

If you know me at all, or have read this blog for any given amount of time, you know I loooooove London Drugs. So today's freebie is all about LD. I'm giving away a $10 gift card to one lucky winner! $10 can get you a lot of stuff when you use the Extreme Shopper method!

You must be a MrsSmith-ExtremeShopper Facebook fan AND a blog follower for a chance to win today's giveaway. Post something about MSES on YOUR facebook wall and link back to the MrsSmith page(put an @ in front of MrsSmith-ExtremeShopper on your post) to qualify. Giveaway ends Saturday night at 11pm PST and winner will be announced on the Facebook page.

Go!

Shop with Mrs.Smith: 27 items for 30cents!

Last night after the coupon class at Trisha's, I hit LD for a very quick shop. The advantage with going in with a prepared list and all your deals worked out beforehand is that you really don't need to spend a lot of time in the store. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes, as I had my list ready and my coupons already clipped and ready to go.

I did miss out on getting some free Primo pasta as my coupons were nowhere to be found (they were found later in my purse). Sigh! Organization really is key to getting the best deals!

They were out of the large Ziploc freezer bags so I got a raincheck for them. You'll be seeing lots of Ziploc at the Hostess Giveaway on March 31!

By the way, the deals above (except for the Luminaries which were a raincheck) are listed on the Class Blogs so if you want to emulate the above scenarios, the Class Blogs will help you out with that as the deals/coupons are listed out for you already!

After coupons, I spent .30cents out of pocket (oop) but tax was $12.82 - so my total was $13.12. Before tax, my savings ratio was an amazing 99.967% but after tax it is 89.14%. Darn taxes! I saved $106.50 - hurray!

Another use for the $2 Ziploc coupon

This coming week, London Drugs will have Ziploc freezer bags on sale for $1.99. If your London Drugs allows overage (most don't), you can get them for free. Or, you can pricematch it at Zellers and get it there for free. In my experience Zellers allows overage coupons but it has to be done at the customer service area. Sometimes they will adjust the coupon down to the value of the item, and other times they just put the full value of the coupon down.

Speaking of Zellers, if you kept the $1 off Vileda gloves that was in the coupon insert recently, you can score them for free as well. Zellers has them on for .99 starting the week of March 12, for a week.

Free Crest regular toothpaste

If you have a NoFrills near you, or if you can get your hands on a NoFrills flyer this week, they are having the Crest regular toothpaste for $1. Pricematch at LD and use the .50cents coupon from save.ca and the .50 one from the P&G insert to get free toothpaste!

Free Catelli pasta coming this week!

Yippee, Catelli is 2 for $3 at SDM from Feb 13-26, so use 2 .75 coupons per pack and get them free at LD! Time to stock up!

London Drugs printable coupon - Aveeno

London Drugs has a printable $3 coupon out for Aveeno lotion, baby wash or baby products, 227ml - 354ml. Coupon is good Feb 8 - 21.

Thanks, Bargainmoose!

London Drugs internet coupon!

Buy a Medela product and get a free Medela Lanolin product, up to $10.99 free! Get your coupon here.