Black Friday’s Best Sale: Competitor Price Matching
It’s Thanksgiving and we all know what that means! Time to rush Grandma out so you can get to Walmart and knock a few kids over trying to get the last Ferbie. (Or whatever kids like nowadays.) Like many of you, I spent the last three days researching and browsing hundreds of ads, websites and coupons. I’ve been searching for the absolute best deals and trying to make sure I don’t leave any money on the table.
Then it dawned on me, why don’t I just do a little research into which retailers have the best price matching policies. From there I can narrow down the stores I need to visit and try to advantageously stack offers for the best prices.
Note: Don’t forget about things like the MPX app and In-Store Cashback and make sure set it up before hand- it’s gonna be stressful enough.
Which Major Retailers Have the Best Price Matching Policies?
Staples
And the winner is….. yep, Staples. I cannot say enough good things about Staple’s price matching policy. If you find a lower price anywhere, including Amazon- they will not only match the price, but further discount the item an extra 10% of the difference! Once I completed my order and realized I over paid by about $10, so I sent them an email and next morning, a credit posted to my account. I definitely wouldn’t bank on that happening, you should call them before you submit your order, but it was great anyway.
Home Depot
Home Depot has a great price matching policy. They will match any competitors price by 10% for in store purchases. Online purchases however, only get matched, not further rebated. HD is also a bit more restrictive in it’s definition of competitor- it excludes sites like NewEgg.
Lowe’s
Lowe’s price matching policy used to be similar to Staple’s but there are many more restrictions. For example, Lowe’s only price matches for competitors within it’s “local market”, it has certain brand restrictions (including Weber) and you cannot use a coupon and a price match. I reached out to Lowe’s Customer Service because I know they used to also beat rival prices by 10%, but they have done away with that.
Target and Best Buy
Target’s Price Match policy is pretty good, they’ll refund you the difference if you find a lower price within 2 weeks. However, it’s not applicable here because they specifically exclude price matches for Thanksgiving and the week after. Best Buy has the same restriction. Bah humbug.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s Price Matching Policy is only for in-store items and in-store competitors. I find this policy interesting in practice because I think Kohl’s is incredibly over-priced, but you can still earn Kohl’s Cash and Yes to You Rewards on price matched items. This could occasionally lead to a great deal.
How to Use These Policies to Your Advantage
One word: Amazon. More often than not, Amazon is the guy to beat- this makes our lives so much easier because we don’t have to flip through 60 page circulars to compare prices. You could of course do a google search if you think further research is needed to determine the best price. I would also be sure to check out the Black Friday ads for the retailers who exclude price matching this week- I bet you’ll find something worth matching elsewhere.
Once you find the lowest price, check to see if Staples or Home Depot carry the items since you’ll get extra cashback there and make sure you’re taking advantage of any other money saving offers available. Even if you happen to find a price that you would like to match at one of the other stores, it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.
Of course, price matching is only one of several factors that can help you make decisions. For example, I bought a house this year so I’ve been hitting the Lowe’s and Home Depot card sales pretty hard- which makes me more inclined to want to shop there since I have extra. I also have a bunch of Best Buy Amex Offers that I wouldn’t mind using. Of course, I’ll be saving my Staples Amex/Chase offers for the very best deals since there weren’t all that many of them.
Conclusion
You do not, have to drive yourself crazy this weekend, there are short cuts you can take and this is one of them. Also, don’t forget, stores now have great return policies and if you mess up, it’s not the end of the world. Besides, laying in bed browsing deals on Cyber Monday is so much better.
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Well that ruins that idea :(. Although, my sister said they did it for her yesterday so I guess it’s one of those YMMV situations.
Bethany;
A huge pitfall to your Staples strategy.
I just spoke to Staples and asked about matching Black Friday prices. Here was their reply:
“We don’t price match competitors’ or our own local or special events (e.g., grand opening, anniversary, clearance, timed sales or liquidation sales, “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday” sales)!
Is there anything else I can assist you with today?”