Pricing Matching Made Easy: See Which Stores Price Match & How

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Comparison shopping used to mean going to different stores, checking prices, and purchasing from the retailer with the best price. You always want to make sure you’re getting the best deal in town. Check out this list of retailers that price match their competitors.

Top Retail Stores That Price Match

We are all trying to be frugal and get the most for our money. In efforts, many of us used to comparison shop and boy did that take up a lot of our time.

All that work doesn’t make much sense to save a few bucks. Over the years, price matching and comparison saving is now all the rage. 

It is easier than ever to comparison shop through the use of each store’s online presence. Now, thanks to smartphones and the Internet, you can check competing prices anytime. All it takes is a few minutes of your time. 

Find a lower price online, and at a different store, take it to one of your favorite retailers (who price match) with the lower price, and BOOM you just saved yourself some extra money and time. No need to run around time to find the best deal.

A few simple clicks and off to the store you go. 

There are many stores that do offer to match their competitor’s prices on most items.

It can seem confusing, but if you do your research before you head out to the store, you will be able to get the best deals. And to save the most money all you need to know is the store’s policies regarding their guarantees. 

Here’s everything you need to know about price-matching at some of the biggest major retailers in the U.S.

 Stores That Offer Price Match Guarantees

Best Buy

Best Buy stores specialize in selling mainly electronics and for this reason, they offer a limited price match guarantee. 

• Will price match – Local retail competitors (including online prices) and some online retailers.
• Fine print: Must be a local competitor or qualifying the online competitor.
• Will not price match the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day through the Monday after Thanksgiving.

How to Price Match: Bring in the ad or use your phone to show an example of a better price. For online purchases, call 1-888-BESTBUY.

Home Depot

Home Depot hands down has one of the most generous price-match policies you will find. If you find a lower price on a product, the Home Depot sells, they won’t just match the lower price–they will beat it by 10%. 

• Just like most other stores – The item must be identical.
• Can price match at checkout – You can use a printed ad, a photo, or a printout from the Web.
• The item being price-matched must be in stock at Home Depot and the retailer you are comparing. 
• The policy states that they will match prices for “any retailer” – not those on a specific list. Home Depot will not match from third-party sellers or discount sites. As they are not “competing retailers.” They will not match prices for auction sites or wholesale clubs.
• Will not match for big items like appliances or custom orders.

How to Price Match: For in-store purchases, bring in the competitor’s ad. For online purchases, call 1-800-HOME-DEPOT.

Lowes 

Just like Home Depot, Lowes offers a very similar and generous policy. If you find a lower price on a product at Lowes, they won’t just match the lower price – they will beat it by 10%.

However, unlike The Home Depot, Lowe’s guarantees its prices for a full 30 days after purchase. That is pretty impressive. 

• Price matches for online items will only be compared to competitors’ localized pricing online. Any store that operates strictly online, such as Amazon, is excluded.
• The item must be identical.
• At the time of sale disclose the printout, local ad, photo, smartphone display or app showing the competitor’s lower price. 
• It does not disclose how many items are included within its policy.
• They do match local warehouse clubs as long as the warehouse club is a local retail competitor and the product is in stock and identical.
• Will not match for big items like appliances or custom orders.

How to Price Match: Bring in the ad to your nearest store location. For online orders, call 1-877-465-6937.

Target

At Target they state they are always comparing prices and making sure theirs is lower so you don’t need to price match.

But if you find a lower price, they do offer price matches from select online stores, competitors’ local printed ads (within 25 miles of your local Target) and from online Target.

Target offers a nice policy. You may start to notice the similarities between the major retailers.  

• Here is the AMAZING part: – Drum roll, please… You can request a price match at the time of purchase or up to 2 weeks or 14 days after your purchase to request. 
• The item must be identical. In other words, it must be the same brand, the same model, the same size – even, for clothing, the same color. 
• You can price match on more than one item. They do “reserve the right to limit quantities”.
• Keep in mind their policy will not be valid from Thanksgiving Day through the entire week after Thanksgiving.

Word of advice, if you have to choose between price matching at Walmart (their details below) and Target I would choose Target. 

How to Price Match: Provide proof in-store at Guest Services. For purchases at Target.com, call 1-800-591-3869.

Staples

Staples is one of my favorite office supplies stores to shop.

They offer an amazing price match policy. Staples offer a 110% Price Match Guarantee. Which promises that if you find a lower price, they will give you that price plus a 10% discount.

They offer a very simple policy. (1) Find a lower price. (2) Bring in proof of the lower price (such as a print ad or a website). (3) Show it to a store associate at the checkout or at the customer service desk.

• Offers a 14-day price guarantee on its prices. If the price drops within 2 weeks after your purchase from Staples or Staples.com, you can bring it back for a price adjustment. 
• Will price match for any business that includes both a retail store and an online store under the same brand name.
• Will match to Amazon (even though Amazon doesn’t have a physical store) 
• The policy is not in effect on Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales.

How to Price Match:  Go to the customer service counter in-store and bring verifiable proof. For online purchases, call 1-800-333-3330 to receive a refund.

Walmart.com offers price matching without Savings Catcher

Walmart is one of the most popular retailers that offers price matching. However, their policy comes with a long list of rules. If you are at the store always remember that you can certainly ask someone. It never hurts to ask. In fact, it may just benefit you greatly. 

• First, the item must be identical. In other words, it must be the same brand, the same model, the same size – even, for clothing, the same color. 
• Offer valid on one item per customer per day.
• If the item you wish to purchase is on sale and no longer carried in stock most stores will allow you to make a raincheck. A rain check is a piece of paper provided by the store that guarantees you can return to the store on a later day and pay for the sale item (even if it is not on sale anymore). Walmart will not give you a rain check for another store’s sale price. If they are out of stock that day, then you are just out of luck.
• Who they’ll price match: Select online retailers, and you don’t even use the Savings Catcher app.
• The policy is not in effect on items related to Black Friday and Cyber Week (including Pre-Black Friday event prices). This is a big bummer.

How to Price Match: Contact the Walmart Customer Care Center for price-matching (online only).

Hope that this list helps you understand which retailers price match and how.

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