We understand why very few retailers will price-match their own websites. Online and meatspace retail are different markets, and the current system rewards people who are smart enough to order items online for in-store pickup. We guess. You have to admit, though, that the current system is kind of inefficient. That was Brian’s experience at Finish Line, anyway. He wanted a specific jacket, which was $69 online, but a higher sale price, $100, in the store. Only the store couldn’t give him the online price, because That’s Just Not Done. What did he do? He went home and ordered the jacket online. With free shipping. How efficient.

Recently finish line had gotten an exclusive under armour jacket. I went into the store to see that the jacket was $100, I figured I would wait a month or so for the price to drop. Fast forward to this past weekend I see online (not an online exclusive) that the price had dropped to $69. I then go into my local store, the jacket is still for sale for $100. I show the sales associate the ad on finishline.com and I also show him that it is not an online exclusive. He tells me that they don’t honor online sales, I then show him that it is not an “online exclusive sale” I then show him an another item that is an online only sale. He then tells me “doesn’t matter”

So I go home and order the jacket online for $69, with free shipping. I then check the ups site to see that the jacket is being shipped from my local store. So finish line paid for ups 2 day shipping, so they actually ended up losing money instead of allowing me to pay in store.

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