Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Price Match Guarantees

In a recent conversation, someone told me how she just got a price match from Wal-Mart on an item she was purchasing. She had seen a good price for a frozen food item at another store and wanted to purchase the same item at Wal-Mart, which was right next to where she worked.

At first, the people she talked with wouldn't give the price match to her. Although she showed them the information on the Internet, Wal-Mart claimed it wasn't from advertising. However, she was able to point out that the Internet information was taken from a store circular, showing the same brand and weight. Eventually, a Wal-Mart manager did allow the price match.

I've never tried to use a price match guarantee. We live in an area where all the stores are close enough to make the trip. So it's not worth the effort for me to go to a specific store to ask for a price match. For example, when I was much younger, in my twenties, I used to shop at three grocery stores, all within a mile of my house. I would read the circulars each week, make my grocery list, and shop the sales at each store. Interestingly, the sales of major brands were sometime staggered, letting me get the sale price for a couple weeks

Although I don't ask for price matches, I will sometimes take advantage of offers to honor competitor's coupons. I've done this with Home Depot and Lowe's because in some cases the other store didn't offer the exact item I wanted to purchase.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial or shopping advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2009 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

1 comment:

Jenn said...

I never price matched before moving to the country. I shopped like you did going to multiple stores to get the best prices. Looking back, I wish I had simply done the price matching. It's one trip and all you need to take is the store is the competitor's circulars you already have. Most of the time price matching is as difficult as your friend experienced. To ensure a successful price match experience try 2 things. 1)Call the store's customer service center for their specific price match policy-Corporations may say they have one but leave wiggle room by stating the individual store's participation varies. 2) Separate your price matching items from the rest of your shopping and try to further separate them by the store circular-this makes it easier for the cashier & speeds up check out for you & other customers behind you. These things should help your price matching experiences.

Sorry for the long comment-I just had to share! :)