All of the Retailers That’ll Price-Match Online Pricing

Updated December 1, 2023 by Kyle
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The following is the most amazing thing I read today. According to retail analysts, only 5% of consumers will bother getting the price of an item lowered by holding a retailer to their stated price-match policy. Wow, only 5%! Is it because it takes too much time to bother? Or maybe consumers just aren’t informed? Don’t become another statistic, always get the best possible price. Over the course of a year you can save substantial money by doing so, especially on larger purchases. Here are the major retailers that are early adopters in terms of price-matching online pricing. For the sake of consumers, and their ability to negotiate the best price, I hope to see other retailers start to do the same, and when they do, they’ll be added to this article.

Which Retailers Will Price-Match Online Pricing

Best Buy

The online pricing model at Best Buy has gotten a lot of attention recently as savvy consumers try to get the best price possible on consumer electronics.

Here is the skinny:

  • List of online stores Best Buy will price-match: Amazon.com, Apple.com, Bhphotovideo.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, Frys.com, hhgregg.com, HP.com, HomeDepot.com, Lowes.com, Newegg.com, OfficeDepot.com, OfficeMax.com, Rakuten.com Shopping, Sears.com, Staples.com, Target.com, TigerDirect.com and Walmart.com.
  • They limit it to one online price match, per identical item, per customer.
  • When requesting an online price-match visit the Customer Service desk and inform them of the lower price. They will then independently verify the price and say “Yay” or “Nay.”

Target

Target has been price-matching online pricing for a little over a year now.

Here is what you need to know:

  • Target will now price match the following 29 websites: Amazon, Babies ‘R’ Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Buy Buy Baby, Costco, CVS, Diapers.com, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Drugstore.com, GameStop, JCPenney, Kmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Newegg, Office Depot, Petco, Petsmart, Sam’s Club, Sears, Sports Authority, Staples, Toys ‘R’ Us, Ulta, Walgreens, Walmart, and Wayfair. Official policy.
  • Target also price matches the Target.com website. This happens a lot more than you might think.
  • In order to get your price-match you must show a Target associate the retail price on your mobile device or by bringing in a printed page showing the current price.
  • They’ll only honor the lower price if the competitor currently has the product in-stock and available for immediate purchase.
  • You can only online price-match one identical item per guest.

Staples

While a bit thin, the Staples online price-match policy is still worth mentioning.

  • As of this writing, Staples will only online price-match Amazon.com. But since Amazon.com carries millions of products at competitive prices it is definitely worth mentioning.
  • It must be the same exact model, currently available for sale at Amazon.com, and Staples will match it.
  • Just grab a Staples associate and show them evidence of the lower Amazon price on your smartphone, or by printing out the info, and they’ll get you hooked up with the better price. Pretty obvious by now that you need the Amazon smartphone app to be a real price-match hero.

Fry’s Electronics

Fry’s Electronics apparently has an online price-match policy but is willing to do anything in their power to never let you take advantage of it.

  • Fry’s will match an authorized Internet competitor when the product is “ready to ship”. Interestingly, I can’t find any info on what they consider an “authorized Internet competitor” but through my research it appears they’ll price match Amazon.com and perhaps BestBuy.com.
  • I found this article very interesting, Fry’s Matches Online Retailer Prices! With A Great Big Catch. It appears that Fry’s is trying to get out of having to price-match online pricing by dropping a shipping charge into the mix. Weak.

Toys R Us and Babies R Us

Happy to see Toys R Us and Babies R Us enter the field last summer of retailers who price-match online pricing.

Here is what you need to know:

  • Toys R Us and Babies R Us will match the online pricing of the following websites:  Walmart.com, Target.com, BestBuy.com, Sears.com, Kmart.com, buybuyBaby.com, Meijer.com, FredMeyer.com, diapers.com, BabyDepot.com, and Amazon.com.
  • They won’t price-match Amazon marketplace pricing.
  • Product being price-matched must be the same exact model, color, and size and currently be in-stock at the competitor’s website.
  • Price-match is available at time of purchase or up to 7 days after your purchase. So keep an eye out for a better online price even after you bring it home.
  • Fine print: Toys R Us will not price match an online competitors price if they advertise the product as clearance, refurbished, an open package special, or a liquidation sale.

Sears

I think I finally got my head wrapped around Sears online price-matching policy.

It took awhile…

  • First thing you need to know: “Sears will NOT price match internet-only retailers.”
  • But if you find a local competitor who also has a website, and honors their own online pricing, and has the exact product available for immediate purchase, then Sears will match that lower price.
  • Just print out the order page from the competitor’s website and bring it to your local Sears store.
  • You can bring in proof at the time of purchase or for up to 14 days after purchase for a price adjustment.

Key Takeaways:

  • Be aware that many store associates still don’t have a firm grasp on their employers price-match policy, especially their online price-match policy. It is very important that you do your research ahead of time and keep working your way up the management ladder if you’re not satisfied with what you’re being told.
  • Have the mindset that stores are going to try and find every loophole possible to not match an online price. Important to stick by your guns, especially if they are trying to pull a fast one on you.


By Kyle James

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DC @ Young Adult Money

“Be aware that many store associates still don’t have a firm grasp on their employers price-match policy.” Great point! Honestly some employees are new and don’t know all the policies. Managers should all be aware, though. I love that Best Buy price matches now. It seems to be working out for them and makes it more convenient than window shopping but then having to wait for something to ship if it’s $5 cheaper on Amazon.

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Kyle

It just makes sense for more stores to price match online and brick & mortar pricing, especially since the numbers point to very few consumers actually holding these stores “toes to the fire”. Heck, I’d price match until it became unprofitable to do so which would probably be never.

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Grayson @ Debt Roundup

Best Buy really had to get into price matching. They were getting killed by becoming the showroom for consumers. Their prices are too high compared to most online stores, so they needed to jump into the game.

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Kyle

Yep. I hope that more stores will jump in as well. I know a lot of show-rooming goes on at Sports Authority and Dick’s so I’d be surprised if they don’t jump in next.

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Holly@ClubThrifty

As I read this post, all I could think was, “man, I hate all of those stores!” Ugh!

I will price match if I have to and I have price matched a laptop at Best Buy before.

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Kyle

Haha, hopefully some stores you actually like to shop at will get on-board soon!

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David

Target is definitely my go to store, but I usually end up shopping on Amazon because they have the best prices. Even with price match and coupons, I get better deals on Amazon.

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Kyle

Interesting David. Makes sense that people aren’t going to bother price matching when they can just use 2-day Amazon Prime and save a bunch of time in the process.

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Janet

First, thanks for all the great info! You don’t mention Walmart in your list. I’ve found that they won’t match their own online prices but will match any other online price. Also, the manager at Toys R Us told me that they would match any online price except ebay or items being sold by individuals. I found a toy online at a random, obscure, online toy store (by scanning the barcode) for $8 less than the Toys R Us price & they matched it.

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ron

Went to Fry’s today. They said the wouldn’t match Amazon’s price.

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Sean

I came across the post after I googled if Best Buy price matches Fry’s. At some point, Best Buy updated their price match policy as several stores are no longer listed:

At the time of sale, we price match all local retail competitors (including their online prices) and we price match products shipped from and sold by these major online retailers: Amazon.com, Bhphotovideo.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, HP.com, Newegg.com, and TigerDirect.com.

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Angelia

I am going tomorrow to try to pricematch rakuten, s ok I will update this comment tomorrow and let you know what happened. I know they now have the item that I bought 10 days ago for $200 less but rakuten has it for even less than that, s ok we will see.

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Steven

Will BestBuy match refurbished electronics (ex. an android tablet) As I am in the market and need the best price possible.

Thanks

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Blake

I purchased a Fluke 87-V Digital Multimeter from Fry’s Electronics and got them to price match it…eventually. It only happened after I stubbornly refused to take no for an answer despite the there being NUMEROUS online retailers offering the lower price that I wanted to match. I had even spoke with a representative from Fry’s customer care call center and was told that my price match would be honored prior to going to the store for purchase. Luckily I had my laptop with me in hand, and I was pulling up authorized Fluke retailers direct from Fluke.com. I had to take the issue all the way to the store manager and be very defiant before they finally honored their own policy! After reading this article I feel proud of myself for doing so. These companies need to be held to honor the policies that they advertise, or else they need to stop making their respective claims.

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