Which stores will or will not price match?

[CanuckDuck]

Last year, we were told that the Wal Mart would price match but would not on BF.

Did anyone else had luck price matching on BF?

[lovebf]

Never even thought of it! I feel stupid.

[cmac1337]

i never have tried it (others in family have with positive results)

this year im wonderin with the economy being the way it is (in the crapper) if many stores with PM

[tnt17]

sears. office depot. hh gregg. and i think friends of mine did it @ office depot. (only 1 person in line at 6am, so that worked well for them)

[g-man430]

Walmart does not price match on BF if I recall correctly.

[AshFrash]

Sears Price matches for everything but doorbuster deals. Found that out the hard way last year They did it the year before, but changed the rules last year.. Jerks. No, but seriously, if you do your research, you can end up saving a good bit because they give you 10% back, too..

[roycereece]

Last year Wally World price matched a Zune for me (not on BF, but on Thanksgiving day). Wanted two but they only would do one, came home and got a 2nd one from Toys R Us online.

[mdoshi]

Last year, I called Sears to see if they would price match a doorbuster and they said no. Decided to go to the store anyways and they ended up doing it and gave 10% back on top of it.

[PhaserBait]

Wal-Mart should price match. It is part of their policy. However they do have some limits, and sometimes it depends on how they interpret things. You may be able to call your store manager to find out what kind of things they will match. Wal-mart must have the exact same item as what is in the ad. I price match on grocery items almost every time I am in the store. However, sometimes they are more picky than others. You can tell that they get in trouble sometimes for giving the wrong stuff away.

The last two years I have given up on the other big stores for BF. I have no desire to wait in line all night (or longer) like I have done in the past. I just don't need any of those items that badly. Instead, I find all the items that I know Wal-mart will sell, and take all my ads down to my 24-hour store at 4-5AM. I usually skip all the items in Wal-mart's ad that everyone is lining up for, and walk around getting the stuff people are lined up for at Best Buy and Target. Then I stand in line at a cash register and check out at 5 or 6 or whatever time. You could get all those items in your basket at midnight and still line up for Wal-mart's doorbusters if you want.

I think they are supposed to honor ads only during the time they are offered, but usually they don't check. I can often get stuff in the 6AM Target ad at 5AM at Wal-mart. Don't be surprised though, if they make you wait until 6.

Last year I did have them decline to match some of the limited quantity items in the BB ad. They said that was a special deal they could not match, since it was certainly out of stock at the other store. I didn't push it since I had already purchased the items online Thanksgiving day. I don't price match anything that I can't live without. This year if I find something I really want I might take some ads to the store on Thanksgiving Day and ask about specific items to make sure.

Just be aware that, while price matching can be a great convenience and help you get deals from multiple stores, it is not a surefire thing. Make absulutely sure the store has the exact same item as the ad. Also be prepared to argue for your deal or go home without it (or maybe argue AND go home without).

[guitarist19862005]

I know I asked last year at my local Wal-Mart and they said that they would indeed price match if you had the ad. Well, I stroll in with the ad wanting Super Mario Galaxy for the same price as Best Buy or one of the other stores, but surprisingly all of those games had been pulled from the case. It was apparent that they were "out of stock" so they wouldn't have to price match. Needless to say I went back the next day and they were miraculously stocked again. I'm not talking about one slot for that particular game either. They had five to six spots laid out, but they were empty.

[PhaserBait]

I've heard of that happening before, but I've never seen it myself. It sounds like a pretty smart move if they are really losing that much money. However the whole idea of the price match is to keep customer happily coming to your store even though other store are offering deals. I mean who cares if you sell your 20 copies of Mario galaxy at a $10 loss each. You lost $200, but you got 20 people to shop at your store instead of Best Buy. Couldn't you make that up with the other items they get? That's the whole point of the loss leaders.

Anyway, it does bring up another risk with the pricematching strategy. No plan is perfect.

[lovebf]

I know I asked last year at my local Wal-Mart and they said that they would indeed price match if you had the ad. Well, I stroll in with the ad wanting Super Mario Galaxy for the same price as Best Buy or one of the other stores, but surprisingly all of those games had been pulled from the case. It was apparent that they were "out of stock" so they wouldn't have to price match. Needless to say I went back the next day and they were miraculously stocked again. I'm not talking about one slot for that particular game either. They had five to six spots laid out, but they were empty.

So Wal-Mart!

[guitarist19862005]

I've heard of that happening before, but I've never seen it myself. It sounds like a pretty smart move if they are really losing that much money. However the whole idea of the price match is to keep customer happily coming to your store even though other store are offering deals. I mean who cares if you sell your 20 copies of Mario galaxy at a $10 loss each. You lost $200, but you got 20 people to shop at your store instead of Best Buy. Couldn't you make that up with the other items they get? That's the whole point of the loss leaders.

Anyway, it does bring up another risk with the pricematching strategy. No plan is perfect.

I guess you could make it up in other items. It just wouldn't come out of my pocket. My whole reason for going there was getting the game and that was it. After they didn't have any, I was ready to leave.

[kelmckinley]

I was able to price match at the Walmart in Lewis Center Ohio last year. I got a 30gb Zune for $99 (matched the radio shack ad). They were reluctant but had to do it. I didn't see anything in their ad for BF that said they would not. A few years previous to that I was able to PM a Nintendo handheld game (can't recall which one) for $50 at Meijer with the walmart ad. Doesn't hurt to try. They may tell you no but if it isn't in their ad that they won't on BF then they have to.

Only 44 more days to go!

[TakenAback]

As always, the worst place to try it is in a major metropolis like New York or Chicago. Those retail locations will be overrun the most, and your attempt is more likely to meet with spite than just frustration.