Last week, we showed you the sign at one Best Buy store that openly stated it would not match prices found on BestBuy.com, flying in the face of the company’s stated policy. We subsequently received numerous e-mails from Best Buy staffers saying they had been ordered to not price match, but to tell customers to order on the website and arrange for in-store pickup. After that story was posted, BB HQ sent out a directive to staffers, laying down the law on this topic.

In what the company called a “friendly reminder to everyone” sent out late last week, Best Buy restates its price-matching policy of “If you find a lower price on BestBuy.com or in a Best Buy Retail Store for the same brand and model during the exchange and return period, we will match that price.”

BB HQ explains that “Actively matching BestBuy.com pricing should be viewed as an investment the Company is making to improve price impression and traffic (similar to buying advertising during the holiday season).”

The note goes on to expressly forbid stores from doing the following:

* Create/post their own customer-facing signage at POS registers or at the customer point of entry into the building that actively contradicts the stated policy.

* Ask the customer to use the kiosk/ExpressLane as a way to avoid price match margin erosion.

* Not honor a price match to BestBuy.com once a customer indicates awareness.

Thanks to everyone who wrote to us about this story!

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