I recently got a price match between two Wal-Marts on a large ticket item. But two employees made it quite clear that Wal-Mart will not price match its other stores, and they weren't quite sure how I managed to get a manager to agree to it.

This was also a good experience for me. I've mapped out which Wal-Marts are higher than others. HINT: Shop at the ones in the poorer parts of town.

I totally understand the frustration, right now I am within 30 minutes of exactly four different Wal-Marts. Whichever one is cheaper, is the one I go to, I call in a price check first usually.

So if Wal-Mart Store A sells something for $80 and Store B sells the same thing for $100, and I go into store B, get told they won't match, and go to store A to buy it, doesn't Wal-Mart still get the same amount of money from me? Or do they think we're all a bunch of suckers who will give in and buy at Store B for more money? I know Wal-Mart employees generally aren't the brightest crayons in the box, but they have to have passed 2nd grade math, right?

Don't worry, Target refuses to price match themselves on items that have been clearanced after you purchased them if the clearance is a store-specific discount. They will only allow you to bring the item back to return it, and then repurchase a clearanced item.

Yikes.

Wow, it's almost like the price-matching is a plan to drive other business out and they don't give a **** about the customer beyond getting the most money out of them. Naked profit over customer service? How unlike a major corporation!

Circuit City doesn't give you any issues with price matching their website. I have done it on multiple items, on multiple occasions, not once an issue. Target just refuses to price match anybody...

This is reason #3 why I do NOT go into this godless store. Not price matching your own website is ludicrous.
But there are so many other reasons to not shop there.

@doctor_cos: At least they know they have a website. BestBuy tried to deny the existence of their in-house website this winter when I bought a iPod. The clerk actually tried to tell me my wife at home whom I had on the cell phone to confirm the price that she must have been on a spoof site. The manager, when called, just rolled his eyes and said "Give it to him at that price."

the reason is, because they ONLY have to have the lowest prices in their radius, so the walmart on the rich side of town (ha!) will be competing with, say, whole foods hypothetically, while the poor walmart will be competing with aldi. they are ruthless about this, and that is why they don't price match each other - each area has its own set of rules and cheapness.

to give props to the source: www.behindthecounter.com which is one of my fav blogs!

What if I find the same item at two different places in the same store with different prices? Can I get them to price-match themselves?

@BaysideWrestling: I hear all this about Best Buy, but I went there to buy a home theater system a couple years ago that was 50 bucks cheaper on their website, and the guy price matched it without giving me any issues. In fact, I don't even think he checked the website, he just took my word for it when I said it was cheaper online.

@mantari: Our local news did a story on that situation, and found that the prosperous side of town actually had better prices. Their reasoning was that the poorer side of town had fewer options so the stores could charge whatever they wanted, while folks from the "rich" side of the tracks were more apt to shop around looking for the best prices.

My wife and I have confirmed the prices are lower in our neighborhood than they are downtown.

I understand not price matching their website since they have additional shipping charges (or overcharges) that they can factor in to the price. You can mark stuff down if you overcharge for shipping!

But between-store prices seems strange. I thought they basically had a uniform price for every item across the corporation. I am surprised to hear that a store would have a separate price from another.

Why wont they honor the website price?

Sounds like Best Buy all over again!

Why won't stores honor web site pricing? Because their websites have less overhead costs and the prices are national as opposed to some sales which are by region or whatever. Also of course the fact that shipping costs extra.

@Bay State Darren: If they have the same packaging and tags just buy either one and see if their computer blows up.

This is a non-story, which seems to be poping up more and more here.

I think a majority of stores refuse to price match their website prices as well as web prices in general... so that isnt anything shocking.

As for price matching themselves... most stores have varying prices for each market, be that multiple markets in the same state or different states or whatever. Living near a state border, I notice different prices at a lot of retilers and never really questioned the practice.

Lol, I have to chuckle about the thought of someone price shopping different Wal Marts. Maybe trying to find the best deal on those high quality flip-flops we've been hearing about???

It's not just the rich parts of town. The WM in my town is higher priced than the WM in a town 20 minutes away. I guarantee I'm not living in an affluent suburb. The WM 20 minutes away just has more competition where as in my town there's no other store like it to compete, so it has no reason to have lower prices.

@yg17:
They probably figure that people like me and apparently Meg Marco by her "I don't know why you'd need to" comment don't know that there even are varying prices. I'm not really a Wal Mart shopper and enter hell only when I would put together gift packages comparing the selection of wrapping paper and whatnot to Target and Papyrus.

Petco also doesn't match their website prices and it's a major difference on every single item. I always wait until they have free shipping specials (like now) and rack up.

FYI: Walmart's products are *allegedly* made with low quality, highly toxic material by slaves in foreign countries.

@ShadowFalls:
2 different Circuit Citys' have refused to match their web site pricing. And in Circuit Citys' case, and other stores that allow in store pick up, I doubt it has to do with increased cost at the bricks & mortar store.

My wife and I stopped by one night to pick up a new digital camera. The web site had it for $249, in store it was $299. The manager refused to price match. I went home ordered it on the web for in store pick up and then went to the same store to piick up the camera out of their inventory. What a stupid wast of gas and paper.

Fry's Electronics is the same way.

I logged on to frys.com (outpost.com, whatever) the other day to get some RAM for my laptop. They had SODIMMS for 50.99. I figure, sweet, I'm in Burbank, I'll just swing by at lunch and pick them up so I don't have to wait for shipping.

First I call the store, and get put on hold for an inordinate amount of time... so I figure screw it, it's friday, they're always slammed because of the ad - and proceed to drive there and stand in line.

When I get there, get past the white suited beggar at the door, get to the line, wait for five minutes, then finally talk to the commission fiend at the computer... the same sticks of RAM are going for 78.99.

I told him they were 50.99 on the website, and he told me that "Fry's doesn't pricematch itself." He hands me the printout receipt for the electronics cage wheich I take with me as I walk to the front door, crumple it up and drop it on the greeter's desk on the way out.

I grab some cheap and tasty Del Taco drivethru, return to work, and order two sticks of RAM online for a little more than the price of one at the store.

I received them on Tuesday even though I got the cheapest shipping option available. The cheap shipping option with frys.com is DHL.

That's my story.