Rite Aid Offers More Ways to Save on Back-to-School Basics

Rite Aid stores nationwide are stocked with great values on many essential back-to-school supplies in anticipation of a shopping season that the National Retail Federation says will bring more bargain hunters to drugstores.

The Federation predicts half of back-to-school shoppers are going to be shopping for sales more often due to the economy, and one in five shoppers intends to shop their local drugstore.

"In response to today's value-conscious consumer, we have greatly expanded our value programs in recent years," said John Learish, Senior Vice President, Marketing, for Rite Aid. "Back-to-school bargain hunters can use our sales circulars as a map and their wellness+ customer loyalty card as a key to unlock the best back-to-school values at Rite Aid."

Circulars this back-to-school season will feature weekly specials on items including:

• Highlighters, tape, glue and more from Rite Aid's private brand Home, which is in its first back-to-school season and offers consistent values on pens, pencils, notebooks and dozens of other back-to-school basics
• Writing utensils including Sharpie markers, BIC pencils and Paper Mate pens
• An array of art supplies such as Crayola markers, colored pencils and crayons
• Traditional composition notebooks for written assignments plus binders, notebooks, planners and folders
• Backpacks available in a variety of colors and styles so school supplies can be toted in style
• Breakfast items to start school days off right including Kellogg’s and General Mills cereal
• For every kid’s favorite part of the school day, Rite Aid has cool and colorful lunch boxes and goodies to pack in them including Pringles, Cheez-Its, granola bars and a variety of nuts

For those heading off to college, Rite Aid can help stock the dorm room and keep students organized. New this year, hundreds of Rite Aid stores near college campuses are stocked with expanded merchandise. Basics such as the following will be available in nearly all stores and on special in coming weeks:

• Laundry detergents plus dryer sheets to keep clothes smelling fresh – just like when mom does them
• Air fresheners will help keep dorm rooms smelling great, even when laundry falls by the wayside
• Rite Aid brand water bottles that store simply under the bed and are ready to take to class. For soda-drinkers, 12-packs of some favorite fizzy drinks will be on special as well
• Ramen noodles, frozen dinners, Chef Boyardee pasta and Campbell’s soups for the new microwave chef
• Dish soap, hand soap and cleaning products to help keep students healthy and dorm rooms clean
• Colorful fleece throws for students to cozy up under on dorm room movie nights or between-class napping

In addition to exclusive discounts, wellness+ members can collect +UP Rewards, which print on the bottom of select register receipts and are used like cash on future Rite Aid purchases. For example, until July 30, a $1.98 purchase of three 100-sheet Mead composition books will print a $1 +UP Reward.

For some deals such as the +UP Reward deal on Mead books, additional savings can be found with Single Check Rebates. As one of the drugstore industry's last remaining mail-in rebate programs, Single Check Rebates allow Rite Aid shoppers to earn up to $423 back between July 27 and Aug. 30, including more than $100 back on school supplies such as calculators, crayons and staplers. The Mead +UP Reward deal also counts toward a rebate worth $2 back on a $10 Mead purchase or $5 back on $20. For more on saving at Rite Aid, click on the new value-focused Save Now tab at www.riteaid.com.

Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation’s leading drugstore chains with approximately 4,700 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, can be found on Rite Aid’s website at www.riteaid.com.