About a month ago my niece Mandy was singing the praises of Alice.com on Facebook. Her comment drew lots of praise from her 20-something mom friends, so I decided to check Alice out. If you've never heard of this website, Alice basically claims to have better pricing than the discount stores on stuff that you use every day—cleaning supplies, health and beauty aids, laundry products, and they don't charge shipping or sales tax.
It wouldn't hurt to see what Alice was all about. I set up my free account and then began the process of selecting my products and making note of the prices. With this information, I decided to find out if Alice really was a better bargain.
I started out at Walgreens in Lee Branch on Highway 280. I buy a lot of stuff at Walgreens. They often put their vitamins on sale at two for one, and sales tax is only 5%. I guess Walgreens sits on a parcel of land that was not snatched up by Hoover when they took in the rest of Lee Branch, so you pay only Shelby County sales tax.
As I began the process of price comparison, I noticed that not only were Walgreen's prices sometimes better than Alice's prices, but they were running some pretty good specials as well. I needed bath soap, so that went into my cart, but I decided to take advantage of some other deals as well.
Perhaps the best kept secret of the Lee Branch Walgreens is Lou. Lou often runs the register at the beauty counter, and she keeps a stash of coupons that she has filed alphabetically. If you're ever shopping there when Lou is working, it pays to check out at that register. Lou was in that day, so I headed to her register. I felt like I had won the lottery. Lou had $1 off coupons for everything in my buggy.
When all was said and done, I paid a little over $18 for all of this, and I had accumulated $5 in register rewards to use the next time I visited Walgreens.
I would have spent over $25 for the same stuff by ordering from Alice. Sometimes it pays to shop close to home.
17 comments:
Hi Kathy,
How have you been doing? It sounds like you did the right thing and found some really good deals. My hubby loves that same Listerine.
Have a blessed day my friend,
~Melissa :)
It does pay to shop around. The lady in the cosmetic section of my local drugstore does the same thing. Isn't is a nice service!
What great bargains. I try to watch all the ads and make a list and buy what's on sale. I also buy a lot from Walgreens. They often have some really great sales. I also buy a lot of things at the 99c store. Great for shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, cleaning supplies and such. Seems it's more important than ever to be thrifty these days. Great post. Thanks for sharing. Hugs, Marty
Ohhhh, I may have to take a little drive over to Hoover......
Thanks for sharing your little secret!
{{HUGS}}
Robin :o)
Thanks for highlighting us in your post! I'm not sure we ever claimed to be better prices than everywhere, but we are 20-30% cheaper than anywhere else online. And free shipping so you don't have to drive anywhere. We also manage and automate your purchases, keeping track of the items you use regularly and reminding you when you're running low. And just like having your own personal Lou, we find an automatically apply coupons for you. Anyway, great post detailing your deals.
Kathy,
What a great suggestion....and props to Lou! I am going to have to pay her a visit! I love someone looking out for others! You got some great deals! Thanks for linking up today for Thrifty Thursday! I am so appreciative!
Leigh
Tales from Bloggeritaville
lbratina.blogspot.com
I have GOT to learn to shop thriftily for household items. You got a deal!
We got 2 Walgreens here in Dothan last year, and I have found that they really do have some wonderful deals. One of them was located right next door to my school, so I would stop in there in the mornings if I needed something before work.
Sorry, have never heard of Alice.
I ove Walgreens too BUT I do not have a Lou! I really need one cos' she saved you some bucks!!
Lou Cinda :)
I always KNEW you were one smart lady, but this is SOLID confirmation of said fact!!!!
Hi Kathy,
So glad that you have a Lou for coupons...it does pay to be nice, huh !
Kammy
I am not a coupon person (yet, anyway), but am always in awe of others who find such great deals.
I just don't want to pay the shipping, even if it's claimed to be free shipping, I know I'm paying for it. I am driving by the grocery store or Walgreens at some point in my day anyway :)
Good for you for knowing the inside info at your hometown store.
It does pay to shop close to home.
There is always a good deal out there you just have to look for it.
Have a great day!
Ally
It is good to shop close to home. The only thing better would be shopping local businesses online! Great deals!
Christi
Kathy, those were some really good prices. Great way to save money. (Now, what did you go buy with the money you saved?) laurie
I've never been good at Walgreens shopping. I know people get great deals with their rewards system, but it takes too much thought for me! :) I need to check it out sometime.
I do compare alice.com prices to other places (well, Target at least!), and I only buy the things that are actually cheaper--which really is most things. But, I think the main reason us 20-something moms like ordering online is that it means we don't have to drag our babies or toddlers to the store! That's reason enough for me ;)
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