There is NOTHING more annoying then driving all the way to a store to find the product out of stock. But luckily most stores offer rain checks. A rain check is a written certificate that enables you to get the item at the sale price when it is back in stock. Plus you can use coupons in conjunction with a rain check!
To obtain your rain check, go to the service desk and request one. Let them know which item is out of stock and how many you had planned to buy (always make sure it’s a normal amount. They won’t write you a rain check to get 100 deodorants). Then the next time you are in the store, present your rain check before the items are rang up to the cashier. They will adjust the item down to the sale price. Then you can use your coupons.
And always make sure you check the expiration date. Most rain checks expire within 30 days. I also suggest that you keep a copy of the ad from the week your rain check was issued. That way if your cashier has any trouble figuring out the rain check, she will have the ad to reference.
Did you know that you can get a rain check on most sale items at Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens? Next time they are out of stock, just ask!
If you are new to Couponing, you might want to take a moment to read more in my Getting Started Couponing series.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Ok just a question…like at Rite Aid, you can get a raincheck for the item but what about if you were to get wellness reward coupons back for the item??? Can that still happen?
Yes, you still get it for the price after the Up Rewards.
It makes me so mad to go on the day the sale starts, and the store is already out of the item. Walgreens is the worst! I wish they tied the deals back to a card, like CVS does. Then they could limit people from hogging all the deals. Also, Walgreens will not give you RR’s on a raincheck, but CVS will give you ECB’s. It’s just another reason that I like CVS more than Walgreens.
I completely agree!
I have mixed feelings about the cards. On the one hand, yes, it does keep people from clearing the shelves, and that’s a very nice thing about the CVS deals as opposed to Walgreens. But on the other hand, I like the simplicity and freedom of sales which don’t require signing up for anything first. I have so many cards, and so many companies have my personal info now … Whenever I go to Target or Walgreens, I love knowing that I can get any deal in the store without a loyalty card.
last week i sent my husband to wags to get the crackerfuls that were $2 with $2 RR. Since they were out (shocking) he asked for a rain check (he is well taught). They will not print the RR after the sale is over so what wags does is gives you a raincheck for the price MINUS the register rewards. So my rain check said $2-$2RR = free. So i went back today and paid tax for 4 boxes of crackerfuls. ALWAYS ASK FOR A RAIN CHECK!!!!
I wish our wags did that. They won’t do the rr on a raincheck.
What if the coupon you were planning to use will be expiring before they get the product in? I’ve heard you can pre-pay in some stores.
You could always ask!
Don’t forget that CVS will give you a raincheck on an item with ECB and you will still get the ECB later when you purchase the item with the raincheck. Plus to make things easy I always cut out the ad and staple it to the raincheck for future reference. Love CVS and their raincheck policy!
Target is good with rain checks, too. I got a rain check for a card table and chairs set that went on sale for $39 (they ran out in a day and a half), and they just told me to call every morning until they got more in and have them hold it for me. I was so glad to get it and relieved that my original store trip wasn’t wasted!