As eBay has gradually shifted away from its heyday reputation as an online auction site, it’s had some trouble reminding everyday shoppers that it can still be a good place to get a deal. To promote this fact, eBay is now offering a guarantee — on some products — that it will match or beat prices found on Amazon, Walmart.com and other sites. [More]
price match
Walmart To Stop Price Matching Of Local Competitors’ Ads At 300 Additional Stores
By 8.10.16
Back in May, Walmart announced that 500 of its stores in the U.S. would stop in-store price matching ads from local competitors. Despite assurances that it had no plans to expand its no-price-matching policy, the retailer has quietly ditched the service at 300 additional stores. [More]
Walmart Ending Price Matching Of Local Competitors’ Ads At 500 Stores; Won’t Say Which 500
By 5.25.16
From price-matching local and online competitor prices to its own “Savings Catcher” program, Walmart offers customers a variety of ways to save a few buck on their bill. But shoppers at some stores will soon have one fewer option for saving money, as the big box retailer is ditching in-store price matching at 500 locations, though the company currently refuses to say which stores are on that list. [More]
Target Will Price-Match 29 Competitors’ Websites
By 9.30.15
Beginning tomorrow, October 1, Target will price-match the websites of 29 major retailers in stores and for purchases from their website. These include the usual big names that you might expect, like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, but also some major specialty retailers like Sports Authority and cosmetics retailer Ulta. [More]
Does Walmart’s “Savings Catcher” Actually Work?
By 9.26.14
Walmart recently began touting its “Savings Catcher” program, which allows shoppers to scan in their receipts and have Walmart determine if the customer could have paid less elsewhere. If so, the difference goes on a gift card (that can only be used at Walmart, of course). But should you trust putting your price-matching in Walmart’s hands? [More]
Stranger Offers To Pay For Fellow Walmart Shopper’s Diapers When They Cost More Than Expected
By 7.2.14
Usually when one hears a shopper has been caught on tape, the mind leaps immediately to troublesome behaviors we’ve seen in the past from bad consumers. That makes it all the more refreshing to see a stranger offer to pay for her fellow shopper’s purchase, after she’d realized she couldn’t get a price match on all four boxes of diapers and thus, could only afford one. [More]
How My Love Of Diet Pepsi Vanilla Almost Got Me Ejected From Walmart
By 4.23.13
If our readership understands anything, its fanatical devotion to one product and an almost equally fanatical need to make stores follow their own policies. That is how Tom got in serious trouble with the employees of his local Walmart. Or did the local Walmart’s employees get in trouble with Tom? Walmart promises to price-match local competitors, including the prices with loyalty cards. Except, apparently, when it comes to Pepsi. For Tom.
Sears Offers Great Gas Grill Price Match That Goes Up In Flames After Pickup
By 10.18.12 — Updated: 9.18.14
It’s fall, which means that it’s time for apple cider donuts, driving around to peep at leaves, and summer merchandise on clearance. Paul’s dad caught a really great deal on gas grills, and bought one for him and one for himself. We wouldn’t expect this to be successful, but he managed to get Sears to price-match the sale price then at Kmart.com. Victory! But Sears being Sears, the promised refund disappeared, and Sears magically forgot that their employee had ever promised the price-match. [More]
Best Buy Store Flat Out Says They're Not Gonna Price Match Their Website
By 5.26.11
There’s no more pussyfooting around the bush. Reader Daniel snapped a picture of this sign on the front door of his local Best Buy of a sign that just comes right out and says, hey, if you want the price shown on the Best Buy website, we’ll be happy to sell you a computer that will connect to bestbuy.com so you can order it there and have it shipped to your house or held for in-store pickup. Ok, it doesn’t really say all that, but it does say that they’re not going to bother honoring the prices shown on the website within the store at all. [More]
Should Travelocity's "TotalPrice" Guarantees Cover Mandatory Surcharges?
By 6.26.10
Aaron’s pissed because Travelocity’s quote for a one week car rental in Costa Rica didn’t include a mandatory insurance charge that cost him more than $100. Aaron feels cheated and wants Travelocity to pony up under their TotalPrice Guarantee, but Travelocity may not have done anything wrong. Join us across the jump to help us sort this out. [More]
Price Match Fraud Lawsuit Filed Against Best Buy
By 10.25.09
A class action lawsuit has been filed in Illinois against Best Buy. The suit’s claims? That the company has an official policy against price-matching their own web site. You don’t say. That claim of a special Intranet site to prevent price-matching against the chain’s Web site sounds familiar. So do most of the suit’s allegations, for loyal readers of Consumerist.
Bought a New iPhone Within The Last Month And Hate Yourself/Apple For It? 'S All Good
By 6.11.09
Molly just bought an iPhone 3G, only to find out Monday that Apple would be releasing a better, faster, more compass-y phone, the iPhone 3 G S, June 19. She had two options — keep the suddenly not-so-new-seeming iPhone 3G while pining for the newer, hotter model, or head to the AT&T store and regulate.
Does A Store Have To Price Match Their Website?
By 11.21.08
Here’s a question we get a lot. Are stores required to price match their own website?
Office Depot Makes Up Lame Excuse To Weasel Out Of Price Match Guarantee
By 7.13.08
Office Depot didn’t want to accept Chaz’s OfficeMax coupon for $20 off his $259 printer, so they told him that competitor’s coupons didn’t apply to technology purchases, which is an utter lie. Office Depot’s policy is to accept competitor’s coupons, subject only to the terms and conditions of the coupon, a simple concept Office Depot apparently can’t understand.
Circuit City Calls The Cops On Customer Who Requests A Price Match
By 5.24.08
Emmett writes: Dear Mr. Schoonover:
Circuit City Designates Handicapped Parking Spots "Web Order Pickup" Zone
By 3.30.08
Best Buy Won't Match J&R's "Wholesale" Prices
By 3.8.08
The Best Buy in Secaucus, NJ refused to match J&R’s price for a Bluetooth headset, claiming that J&R was not covered by Best Buy’s price match guarantee. Best Buy employees first called J&R—a large New York electronics retailer—a wholesaler. A manager later insisted that J&R was a Mom & Pop store and refused to match the lower price. When reader Steven attempted to cut through the absurdity by calling corporate, he was told that the price match is provided at each store’s discretion. Read his full story, inside.
Zappos Zaps Price Protection Policy, Free Overnight Shipping
By 2.17.08
Update: Zappos will still surprise customers with free overnight shipping, but it is no longer a perk they will actively promote.
