Finding Deals at Walmart

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Another way to save money at wal-mart is on gas. If your wal-mart has a gas station, by purchasing your gas from them with your wal-mart credit card (assuming you have one) you save .03 per gallon. If you don't have a wal-mart credit card, purchase a gas card at the cash register and it works the same. Use your credit card to purchase your gas card to earn points or cash back, and get double the savings!

Posted by Ina on July 24, 2008 6:15 PM

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Watch prices between Walmarts and Super Walmarts. I priced diapers at a Super wlmart versus a regular Walmart and the diference was about 2.00(Super Walmart was higher.)

Posted by anonymous on September 24, 2008 3:23 PM

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A great way to save on Walmart already low prices is to shop the Walmart online, clearance sales. I got two Hannah Montana shirts for $3.00 each and they are $6.97 in the local Walmart stores.They have free ship to store shipping.

Posted by Roxanne Mitchell on November 21, 2008 8:20 PM

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What is with oats they have gone up alot since this summer. "Rollback Prices" rolled oats have rolled forward over 25 cents!!

Posted by anonymous on November 22, 2008 6:55 PM

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Walmart will give you prices from other stores' sales folders. My sister looks at all the sales folders from other stores in our area and writes down the prices for the items on her shopping list that week. Then she goes to Walmart and gets the items for whichever price is lowest. She uses coupons, too, so she can do really well most weeks. This saves gas, as well, since she doesn't have to actually go to the other stores to get the sales price! The prep takes just a wee bit longer, but it's worth every minute!

Posted by Yvonne Laffoon on November 24, 2008 12:16 PM

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Two Wal Mart Questions: #1. Does Wal Mart price match on everything advertised in the flyers OR is it only groceries?? #2. Don't you have to take the flyers with you to Wal Mart, in order to get the price match??

Posted by peggy on November 29, 2008 3:25 AM

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Peggy, as I understand it, Wal Mart will match prices on just about anything. If you're not sure, you can't lose anything by asking, for example: oil changes, tires. And yes, she does take the folders with her. She's been doing it long enough that the checkers know her and will just accept her price info. She got a new guy 2 weeks ago, however, who insisted on seeing every price in every folder! It took longer, but she still got the lower prices! Wear good walking shoes when you go! ^_^

Posted by Yvonne Laffoon on December 04, 2008 12:06 AM

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1) Walmart online prices are lower than in the store. Which is a disappoint went you need something right away.
2) Retail stores are getting stingy on their return policies, but Walmart has given me a refund on electronics when it was 90 days past the original date on the receipt. Target on the other hand.... I went there a few days ago and they have a "New" policy on returns. You can return only two items a year without a receipt with a driver's license. If the tags are on the merchandise and if it says, "distributed by Target" they will not take it back if you've exceeded your return limit for the year. Lesson learned here is if you don't keep your receipts don't shop at Target. Kuddos to Walmart!

Posted by anonymous on December 31, 2008 4:23 PM

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Check the meat counter each time you shop at Walmart. Each day, when new packages are put out, the oldest packages are discounted 30%. The meat is still not outdated, and I freeze it-or use it that same day-when I get it home.

Many times, the package can be split up into Ziplock freezer bags, and I get several meals from a single package. We have never had a problem with their meat, and have done this for years. Sam's club also discounts their meat.

Posted by Joan K. on January 14, 2009 11:40 AM

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The Wal-Mart rollback prices are not always a deal. I was watching a set of curtains for a while. Then they priced them with a "rollback" and the sale price was exactly the same as before. They had actually marked the shelf price up then did the rollback to the original price. Not a deal.... Carpe Diem!

Posted by anonymous on January 17, 2009 12:12 AM

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Wal-Mart stores compete directly with stores near them, they DO NOT compete against their own stores. So... the price you pay at one Wal-Mart store may be very different from the price you pay at another. I actually get better deals by driving an extra ten miles to a Wal-Mart further away from my home.

Wal-Mart will also price match on any stores regular prices, not just on sale items. For instance, there is a battery store located 30 miles from my home that sells watch batteries for $1.99 each if you buy six or more. You can request that an associate contact the store to verify pricing and they will give you the same price match in order to sell the merchandise.

One other thing: for those who are on EBT (food stamps) - if certain food items don't scan (beef oxtail never does), you can get a customer service manager to do a food-stamp modification. The way that their registers are set up, any item that has a keyed in description, rather than a scanned barcode, does not count as an EBT purchase.
I hope that these tips are helpful!

Posted by Lydia on February 13, 2009 2:10 AM

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HELP, i RAN SEVERAL COUPONS FROM MY COMPUTER TRIMED THEM AND WENT SHOPPING. WAL-MART WOULDN'T TAKE THEM. i USED ALOT OF INK AND DROVE
45 MILE ROUND TRIP FOR NOTHING? WHY WON'T WAL-MART EXCEPT ON-LINE COUPONS?
THANK YOU,
JAN WIMP

Posted by jan wimp on February 16, 2009 2:01 AM

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Walmart offers a $3.00 off coupon for their brand of infant formula, Parent's Choice. To get the coupon you can only call every 30 days and it will be mailed to you. I also have my mom and sister get this coupon for me.

Call 1-800-485-9918, Mon.-Fri. 8:00-5:00 Eastern time.

Posted by Roxie A on February 17, 2009 10:26 PM

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Jan-

some WM may or may not accept IP (internet printable) coupons. I do believe the corporate policy is to accept them if they will scan. my walmart accepts them, as long as they scan. My usual cashier will take them from me even if they don't, but she knows me and sees me all the time. On the occasion I get a different cashier, if it doesn't scan, I don't throw a fit about it- I'll just try again with my regular lady.

Many stores are getting more cautious about IP coupons because of the huge number of fraudulent coupons online. Make sure you always get them from reputable sites (redplum, smatsource, coupons.com, or the manufacturer site directly)

Posted by debbie on February 18, 2009 2:11 PM

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What you don't realize is that Walmart will say 'rollback $4.97, price was $5.50' when I know the price was $4.50. We've caught them using this lie repeatedly. I even took a picture with a cell phone a few months ago to show hubby.

When I called the manager about this deceptive act, he said that the rollback price was based on what they'd paid for the item and not what the price had been on the shelf, which is not what Walmart stated previously.

They're free to charge whatever the heck they want to charge, but to lie about it? I'm in there every other day so I'm more aware of it when they use that lie. I've seen things on 'clearance' that read 'previously $19.97, now only $15.99' when the $15.99 was the price to start with!

So your 'bargain' might not be a bargain at all.

Posted by Sonya on February 19, 2009 12:26 PM

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Returns: Another reason why I don't like Target: when I won an under the counter stereo, it still had the Target warehouse stickers on it. I didn't have a receipt, so wasn't expecting full refund, but whatever they would give me would have been nice. But when I tried to take it back, they wouldn't return it w/o a receipt, didn't matter about the stickers. Also wouldn't call a manager over to talk with me. Nice, eh?

Posted by Jerri on February 19, 2009 2:56 PM

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Like stated above, stick to your list! I can't stress this enough. A bargain, no matter the cost, is not a bargain if you're NEVER going to use the item! One thing you can do is when you see a reduced item think about birthdays or special occasions coming up and shop accordingly. And again, don't assume that just because an item is marked "clearance" that you couldn't find a better deal elsewhere. If after you've purchased the item and find it at a lower price elsewhere-RETURN IT!! WalMart is very lenient about their return policy. And my last shopping tip-and probably the most important one is this: TRY TO NEVER BUY ANYTHING ON CREDIT (unless you can pay it off in full the following month- interest-free) That great bargain COULD COST YOU PLENTY when all finance and interest payments accrue on your acct.

PS. Also, don't think that the big department stores (Macy's, Sears, JCPenney's) don't have terrific deals too. I've found clothes in those stores marked down to practically free and they are of much better quality than those typically found in WalMart or Kmart. Be smart and buy prudently- in these rough economic times- EVERY cent counts. Happy shopping!!

Posted by The Informed consumer :) on February 21, 2009 10:48 AM

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To Jerri,
Maybe you could've found out what the stereo retailed for and then sell it outright. (Craigslist or Ebay or maybe to a friend) Anytime you return anything without a receipt- YOU ARE TOTALLY AT THEIR MERCY!!

And you have every right to speak with a manager, Anytime. You should have gone up to the jewelry or electronics counter and requested to speak with a manager about the problem. And never hesitate to call their corporate headquarters- they ALL have a 1-800#.-Just a little bit of useful info. (I HOPE!) In case anyone else finds themselves in the same situation.

Posted by The informed consumer :) on February 21, 2009 10:58 AM

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One thing to be aware of when shopping at Walmart, is their lower quality standards. I purchased some mens Hanes t-shirts that are practically transparent, the fabric is so thin. The Hanes T-shirts I purchased at Dillards are a thicker cotton material. In research, I found that Hanes makes t-shirts for Walmart to Walmarts specifications...i.e. read, much lower quality. And other manufacturers do the same. So if you are comparing prices from Walmart to those at Dillards (Macy's, etc), you are not comparing apples to apples.

Buyer beware!!!

Posted by Alberta C G on February 22, 2009 11:27 AM

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Regarding Walmart's return policy. Of course they are lenient. Walmart charges back its vendors for returns. (other department stores...Macy's, Dillards, K-Mart, etc. do not use this practice.) Walmart loses no money on returns, but the vendors do, without having any input into the system. Walmart only pays their vendors for items sold and not returned. Sounds like an accounting nightmare to me, but it is one of the 'sneaky' ways that Walmart makes gazillions of dollars for Sam Walton's family....i.e. listed in Forbes as the richest in America.

Posted by Alberta C G on February 22, 2009 11:32 AM

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I work at walmart, and i want to tell you a little about the rollback prices. I'm not defending them, just giving you a little insight. Walmart buys from wholesalers and vendors. They can charge walmart whatever price they want. Walmart comps the stores around it to mark up or down the price of the merchandise. Obviously they have to make a profit so it's going to be above cost to them. They also have to deal with what the home office wants to sell the item for. This fluxuates daily. One day it could be 4.99 and then the home office decides that's too low and wants to put it up to 5.50. But when we look at it and it's higher than our comp stores then we usually do a save on your sale. It will only be reduced at the check out and may or may not show the real low price on the shelf. The rollbacks are when home office decides to lower the prices. And depending on what we had them at in the system before they sent the rollback to us is what the WAS price is. It's not the individual stores that get to decide on the rollbacks.

Also the deal with the price matching is: it has to be the same brand, same size, same everything of the item in the ad you are trying to match. you're suppose to have the ad. don't bother with trying to tell them it's a normal everyday price there because if we will match it we already know about it. We have comp people out every couple days.

Posted by anonymous on March 07, 2009 3:49 AM

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My husband and I had done all of our major grocery shopping and shopping for other items almost exclusively at our local Walmart, since it opened a little over two years ago. During that time, my third son had gotten married. He and his new wife, over and over "sang the praises" of a new grocery outlet called: "Winco." I just could not imagine saving anymore than we already were! But, finally, we made the trek to "Winco." My goodness! Its a U-bag and carry your own groceries, and "cash only" basis, but we have easily cut our food budget in half! It is really unbelievable. Also, I have not found them to be missing any certain specialty food item that I might use.

Posted by Linda OTyson on March 07, 2009 7:16 AM

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Another bag it yourself store is Aldi. I took my wife screaming and kicking into the store[she did"nt think it could be any good}. Since then we do 90o/o of our shopping there.

Posted by Mike Wilson on March 11, 2009 12:21 PM

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Save a Lot is also a great grocery store, you won't find a lot of variety but the prices definately make up for it. YOu do have to bag and carry your own groceries, but again it is worth it.

Posted by Renee on March 11, 2009 5:08 PM

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How about cell phones - yes, I said cellphone!! prepaid that is, which is the way to go now that the economy is so scary. I bought a NET10 for my kid at Walmart last month. For $9.00 the prepaid phone came with a 300 minutes card. The phone is not top of the line, but it's just as good as any - no camera - but that's ok cause he's just starting to get used to a cell. The plan is awesome too - .10 per minute and .05 per text. The phone purchase was an added bonus for me - I usually go to walmart for house items and kids clothing - which always beats all other stores.

Posted by Luna on March 12, 2009 10:14 PM

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Regarding Walmart's pricing--Perhaps policy has changed since I watched this story on a tv news program, but according to it, Walmart oftens sets the wholesaler price. In the news story it seemed that Walmart forced some companies to sell items at such a low rate, they eventually couldn't continue their businesses. Needless to say, I have very little respect for Walmart. What happened to their slogan--"We buy American..."
I think they have drastically changed their approach.

Posted by anonymous on March 16, 2009 1:25 PM

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I'm kind of surprised when people admit they are doing something wrong, and they aren't ashamed of themselves. Jerri, it is illegal to return an item to a store for cash when you won it. Often times stores will donate an item when someone is having an event. So...it was a loss for them to begin with. Now you think they should give you money for it? A lot of stores have adopted the policy of not accepting returns without a receipt to avoid losing money on fraudulent returns. So, I guess instead of complaining about it, you should realize that honest people have people like you to thank!

Posted by anonymous on March 19, 2009 9:15 AM

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walmart in caro michigan can get particarly sticky on price matching, i went into there with circular with a laundry detergent on sale, they refused to match it cause the detergent was for 1 gallon 128 oz] guess what the one in walmart was 3 oz lighter, 125 oz, i think they do this just so they won't have to price match, another occasion, several years ago,i took a joanns circular to them and the ad stated 99 cent patterns, limit 10, in stock only, first i was told that it had to mean old patterns only, then i pointed out several times it said in stock only, then they tried to tell me that they were going to limit it to 4 again several times i pointed out the limit 10, the manager kept refusing until i told him i was going to contact the head office and report him, i got my patterns that day and every single time i went in there for patterns with a circular from joann's fabrics they gave me a hassle, this was several years ago and it left a bad taste in my mouth for walmart, but now i get a kick out of doing the same thing to them and making them take the sale price, on groceries they don't give me a hard time but for other things sometimes they do. i enjoy beating them at their game the thing is most people don't like it and they get away with it on a lot of people

Posted by molly rambo on March 19, 2009 4:33 PM

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Walmart is not always the cheapest on many items. Their produce (SuperWalmart) is higher than most stores and the quality is not that great. Sometimes Targets prices are cheaper. Pennypinchergazette (www.ppgazette.com) will let you compare prices at 2 stores at a time and they also have weekly circulars for 5 or 6 stores. You can also print coupons at the site as well. As for the person who drove 45 miles round trip and found out that they wouldn't take the coupons, next time call the store first. I don't know why they did not take them because the Walmart that i shop at does.

Posted by Frugalmamma on March 25, 2009 9:24 AM

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I agree with the person who said you should not try to get a refund on an item you "won". If you don't want it, give it away, sell it, etc. Why would it be fair for ANY store to give you a refund on something no one had purchased?

That story sounds like a deadbeat man I knew who would go to yard sales, purchase anything that had a Walmart tag/sticker still on it. He would purchase it for yard sale prices, and return it to Walmart for a refund without a receipt. That is a tactic that should be illegal too. Hence, the reason stores should require you to keep your receipt. How much trouble could that be?

Be more responsible and put them somewhere for a month or so. If you don't need them, throw them away. It is people like these who make the honest people get more hassle when they are at the return desk.

Posted by anonymous on April 06, 2009 2:05 PM

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Don't try this at home. I have never had a problem returning items to Walmart but my husband did. He bought a dvd player that stopped working in a few days but against my warning he threw away the box. So he bought another one and used that box to return the broken dvd and they scanned the boxed to the player and found him out. My hint is to save the original box and inside fittings for three months or as long as the store requires for returns,I tried all the way to the store to convince him that it wouldn't work,boy was he embarrassed.

Posted by hugsandkisses on April 09, 2009 4:33 PM

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I agree with the prescription tip but there are not many ways to save money at Wal*mart. The few ways you can are only pennies on the dollar. Target and Kmart clearance sections are way better. I just bought a bottle of mustard for 25¢ on clearance at Target.

Posted by Joe Caterisano on April 19, 2009 1:55 AM

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Wal-mart gets my vote for their return policy. At Christmas I bought two games:

I was extremely stumped for a gift for my 22-year-old son, so finally went to the game store at the mall and bought a very sleek looking game that a young guy would like. It cost (GULP!)$30... I was very very stumped. I figured if he didn't want this, he could take it back to the store for an exchange or refund, so I included the receipt with the gift. The store would accept a refund if the game was not opened. To my surprise my son decided to keep the game, but when he opened the box, the game was significantly cheesier than the picture on the exterior of the box. There was surprisingly little resemblance. So immediately after Christmas I took this game back the store to complain... pointing out the legitimate quality defects and the lack of resemblance to the box. The store reminded me of their policy... yet logically I could not know of these problems until I opened the box. They would do nothing for me.

I also bought a Jenga-type knock-off at Wal-mart. The individual blocks were not of uniform thickness, so the blocks would not stack well, which is the point of the game. Wal-Mart gave me my money back without blinking.

I did get resolution on the $30 game. I wrote the manufacturer quite a long email, explaining in detail the numerous issues I had with this game. They sent me a check for $30, and also different game they manufacture.

Posted by anonymous on May 02, 2009 3:12 PM

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Why are some Wal-marts so much cleaner than others? There's one right down the road from me that I refuse to go to. It's always dirty, even the parking lot is dirty. However, ten miles down the road the newer Wal-mart is clean. So I have to weigh if the cost of gas justifies the savings. Doesn't Wal-mart have so kind of cleanliness standard?
Cheryl Mikela

Posted by freeenterprisechic on May 02, 2009 8:15 PM

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I will not even shop at wal-mart anymore. one year i bought a $200 pool from them. well another store had the same pool cheaper well i could not find the receipt they would not refund my money or give me the difference without that receipt.

another thing when Sam Walton was alive he thought about us little people like with layway and you would see a lot of signs threw the store MADE IN THE U.S.A I don't see those signs anymore. And their is no more layway i would rather shop at TARGET they have better quality stuff almost same prices.

Also wal-marts prices have gone up so much since last summer. SAM WALTON would be so disappointed in his children for their greed.

Posted by anonymous on May 08, 2009 8:10 PM

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by the way the pool was brand new still in the box not even opened

Posted by anonymous on May 08, 2009 8:15 PM

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Always love shopping and looking for bargains. Find them all the time at Walmart. I also shop at Aldis. The same produce supplier for the country club I work for supplies Aldis. Same high quality. As always be open to new shopping experiences.

Posted by Becky on June 01, 2009 10:26 AM

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Walmart is such a big store - an aisle-by-aisle list helps to save time and frustration.

Posted by lostinstore on June 06, 2009 11:46 AM

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Walmarts never has any clothing for larger women. If They do it is made big and flopy. I do my shopping at Cato and Target.

As for grocerys. I have only bought meat there twice and when I got it home the meat on the bottom was spoiled. I had to throw it away. Never bought meat there again.

Posted by Linda Dellinger on June 11, 2009 12:52 PM

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I really hate to admit it but I do come out alot better at Walmart. On my prescriptions... I paid 25.00 at walgreens for 1 refill..now I get all 5 of my refills for that cost. On the canned goods, I do a whole lot better.

I go to Food Lion (great if in your area) every 2 days and buy their marked down meats and freeze ASAP. What was 7.99 is 3.99 and they are great, never had any luck with Walmarts meats.. always old... Aldi's is great on everything but meat... Not good.. Save-A-Lot... very few discounts on meat and watch the canned goods.. Dollar General Store.. BUY THEIR Campbells soups...$1.00 a can and they are the oversized cans..their store brand canned veggies are great...and yes check out Targets markdown stuff cause you can really get great deals.

At Kmart their clearances are good... Hunts spiced tomatoes for 60 cents a can.. it is just a chore to visit all these stores weekly and work a full time job...but it works if you clip coupons..and watch the sales..

Posted by bthgrneyes on June 11, 2009 10:50 PM

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Excellent tips, and agree on the clearance racks...some spectacular bargains on there.

I would say, though, to take caution with the "discounted gift cards". That's an area that's ripe with fraud, as it's easy for a dishonest seller to sell the card, but hang on to the information needed to use it online.

So, you might find that someone is using the card you bought, while it's in your possession.

Course, it doesn't happen everytime, just sharing a potential risk.

Posted by saving-money on August 27, 2009 12:00 AM

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We were visiting our son in Houston and went to the Target to buy laundry detergent. I couldn't believe how much higher their prices are than Wal-Mart or Dollar General. Regardless of size they only had 2 bottles for less than $5.00 (they were $4.97). I always buy the large box of original Purex for $3 at WM or DG. As for large sized women's clothing, the Target stores in north Texas have practically none; one store had only 2 racks. Their sale prices may be better than WM, but their everyday prices too high for me.

Posted by Carla on August 27, 2009 9:00 AM

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I shop at wallmart a lot but make sure you enter with a grocery list or you will buy more that you really want to.

I use www.grocerywiz.com for my grocery list and to get free printable grocery coupons.

Hope this helps

Posted by al on October 14, 2009 9:54 AM

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The $4.00 30 day supply presciption price at Wal-Mart isn't actually that. They only supply 30 pills for that price regardless of how many you take in 30 days. I take 2 a day, that means I need 60 pills. Wal_mart charges $8.00 for this. I have found that Wegmans does sell accuratly and gives me 60 pills for $4,00. And they honor all the Wal-Mart pricing.

Posted by Cat on October 24, 2009 1:28 PM

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