Saving money on drugstore merchandise/purchases

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

We do have a Costco membership, but it is a half-day ordeal to drive over there, park, shop, find the one exact type of credit card they are accepting this month (Diners Club?), then drive home and unpack everything. After I give into temptation on various items (hey look I never knew I needed one of these!), we likely have not saved much if any money.

We often just go to CVS, out of pure convenience, pay their outrageous prices, get a 10' long receipt for one item, and they play their stupid club card game with the discounts and extra bucks. Rite Aid is no better. I'm sure Walgreens is no better than that. Prices (like everying else) are completely fixed/rigged everywhere.

How do you save money on these types of everyday purchases (e.g., toothpaste, aftershave, Tylenol, and the like)? I am less than enthused about drugstore.com for various reasons...

Any ideas appreciated.

[nalor511]

I go (physically for the most part) to Target, and have them price match Target.com/Walmart/Amazon's lower price, then get an additional 5% off with RedCard (debit or credit versions). Occassionally I get a bit of lip about the price match, but only about 1 time out of 10, and they've always gone through with it. PM to Target.com at any register, and to other stores at the Customer Service counter.

[Cranky]

I do the CVS coupon/extra bucks deals. There are several online sites that lay out the weekly deals for you. I mostly get toothpaste and shampoo but I’ll pick up cleaning stuff if it’s cheap enough.

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

Thanks, I forgot about Target. We go every couple of weeks and it does save us money, even over the various CVS deals. Any good online options? I looked at a few items on Drugstore com (Amazon) and some of the prices were crazy--as in double or triple what I would pay at CVS (??)