Do You Support Price Matching Retailers?

I don't think it forces me to do anything. If it saves me money, time and gas I am all for it. Now buying a car....I wish I could just bring in an ad and they would match the price!!

Price matching isn't about you doing extra work. They aren't asking you to search around for the best price and then tell them how to price their goods. What they are saying is: "We want your business. These are our prices, but if you see a lower advertised price for the same product, we'll honor that."

I love to patronize stores that price match. Many big chain stores have business practices I disagree with, but sometimes their prices are just so doggone low! If I can patronize a local retailer instead and still get the great prices, I'm thrilled.

I understand your point but it depends on the circumstance. Let's say I have a Sears charge card and unable to buy an item by any other means (no cash, other cards maxed, etc) and I want a stove there that Lowe's carries and is on sale there. I would ask Sears to do a price match because I have a Sears card and can't purchase the stove at Lowe's. They'll match the price and put it on my Sears card.

Another example that many people do is look through all their ads and find their list of items sold at 3 different places. You go to just O. store, let's say Target because it's closer to your home, and to save you all the driving time you show them the ads from Walmart and Kmart and get the lower prices all at Target to save you the driving time.

Another example - let's say you've had a poor shopping experience or customer service problem at O. store and refuse to go there again, which happens many times with customers. But they're having a big sale on an item you really want, so you go to a trusted store you like and get the item there using the other disliked store's flyer to get the price match.

Price matching does have it's purposes depending on circumstance. For me, I've never used the price match as of yet but if it were for a large ticket item and the circumstance called for it I'd use it.

The situation with a business offering a price match could be a good thing if the lower price company isn't reliable and can get a lower price for a more reliable company and they may originally charge more because they pay more into their company to make it run better, but to take a cut on occasion to gain new business is worth it to them.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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I live out in the country, no walmart near by. I shop at a local store that does price-matching. Oftentimes, their prices are high (they can't order at a lower price in bulk like Walmart can b/c they're just a small store). I wish I had the ads to show them that they should give me an item for cheaper, but oftentimes I don't. I figure I am paying extra for the convenience of having the store nearby with quick and easy in-and-out shopping. Oh well. BTW - I agree with Thea's and Margo's answers. I love the thought of supporting my small-town local store and small business owner. Big companies like Walmart aren't in danger of going out of business. This O. guy has this O. little store keeping his family fed.

I support local businesses Nothing is free, if you don't like doing the work then don't. for some reason this world is all about getting the best price for things (understandable) but so many our wanting so much for the best that it causes business to go out of business. Sure the local ma and pa store doesn't have the shirt for $10 like target does but it is $12 ya you are paying more but that profit is staying local. I must ask you because I have history companies dealing with bidding. Tell me what companies (business level wise) were giving you the best deals? was it say Homedepot, ace hardware, or say a small local Ma and Pa store? Of course homedepot is going to give you the best price but you might not be getting as good of quality or as much care in the business. just an example. Hard earned money really. cause hoping on the internet is hardwork! Get your hands dirty on a farm for a day or another blue colar job and then reasses your definition of hard work. Take this as you may but I am mission out on your verbal and physical cues but the way this was writing sounded rude and kinda like you are top notch and deserve better then to give a business your support.

I'm happy, to get the best deal I can in the easiest way. If I have to drag my toddler to Target and get O. gift, and they are willing to price match all the other gifts...so I don't have to drag him all over the metroplex for them...you bet I'm happy about it! They made my life easier, why would I complain about it?

When you live in a very rural place and there is only a Walmart, yes, you like price matching. The next closest thing to us is a town with a Kmart, Kohls, and TJMaxx. (It's 35 min. away). The Target, etc are in a town an hour away and the Toys R Us is on the far side of it!
Yes, I would like to support the origional sale store, but driving an hour to do it is out of the question.

I understand exactly what you're saying here. However, in my case, we're 2 hrs away from the nearest Toys R Us. Walmart is literally 2.7 miles away. There's no way I'm going to drive to Cranberry to Toys R Us when there's a Walmart 5 mins away that is willing to give me the same deal.

I totally understand where you are coming from, especially with the scenario you gave at the end of your post. I do the same thing when I order stuff from work. Give me your BEST price, after someone else has given me a better price is not the time to lower yours now.....hilarious.....

With the example given in the post where she had already bought the gift, and saw the sale ad later. I think that it would depend on how much further I had to drive to get to the store that was offering the deal. If it was close, I might do as you suggested, but I would also go and try to buy it there first before I took back the O. that I had. What if they had no more in stock and I took back the O. I had and now I have nothing?? It's probably just easier at that point to get the price match from the first store.....

The point is to offer competition in the days of online price wars. Shopping in the store has fallen by the wayside in a lot of industries.

Typically retail stores compete with each other and only each other. But when they need to get aggressive, if they price match against Amazon.com, for example, they can bring in additional foot traffic. People will do that to avoid shipping and having to wait for product. So it's not designed to pit store against store - usually.

For example: I bought a present for DS this year on Amazon. Toys R Us had it for $59. I went to Amazon, and they had it for $39 with free shipping. There's a Toys R Us down the road from me. I was willing to wait for the shipment, so I didn't go local. Had they price matched, I would have gone in.

Honestly, I can see your point. I have never actually used price matching before and would probably just go to the closest store that had the sale item first. Especially if I was only intending to use it for big money items.

As an ex employee of Wal-mart, I learned to really despise price matching from an employee standpoint. It was fine for O. or two items. But, when you buy 300 dollars worth of groceries and have me price match ALL of it to prices that match the Kroger and Tom Thumb that are across the street, it is frustrating. Especially because you have to follow a three step process for EACH item that is price matched. I can understand it if you live in a rural community or something or it's hard to get to the stores with the sales, but I literally had people do it when the stores with the sales were across the street! I never understood it.