Impossible to comparison shop anymore

[disneysteve]

Has anyone else noticed how difficult it has become to comparison shop? It seems that every major retail chain has a special line of merchandise made just for their stores. Target, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Home Depot, Sears, etc. all have exclusive merchandise made by the major manufacturers. So you can't compare identical items between different stores because they don't sell identical items. They sell items that are very similar, so you can still compare to some extent, but they may be slightly different material or pattern or finish or whatever. So even if store A has a better price you may end up buying at store B because you like their version better.

 

[TNKBELL]

Hi! Do you think this helps lesson the impact by thier price match guarantee? For instance Lowe's and Home Depot offer a 10% discount if you find a better price somewhere else, but it has to be the exact same brand.

 

[malibuconlee]

You're probably right about that!!!

 

[eeyore45]

Dont forget Best Buy - I know Best Buy and Sam's Club make "exlcusivity" contracts with the major manufacture, and I believe I read, or heard it started with mattresses!! You absolutely cannot comparison shop mattresses!! Made me go with a waterbed!! (of course now all the waterbed places have gone belly up... )

 

[Belle5]

TNKBLL is onto something! I shop at different grocery stores (Walmart has a low price guarantee) but so few of the things the other stores put in their ads at great prices are recognizable brands! That assures the grocery store that you won't use their price for a price match elsewhere.

 

[kandeebunny]

Yep I worked for the Big Blue Box for 3 years and they own Rockford Fosgate, VPR Matrix (computer) and a couple other brands I don't remember off the top of my head and they have an EXCLUSIVE deal with Sprint so no other major electronic chain can see them (ie circut city) at least in the market I worked in.

 

[disneysteve]

Do you think this helps lesson the impact by thier price match guarantee?

That's a great point. I've noticed that even with food items, two stores may carry the same brand but in slightly different sizes: one store has a 15 oz. box and the other has a 17 oz. box. Makes price matching impossible.

 

[Cindy B]

I noticed this about two years ago. I was pricing out Quantum Leaps and Leap Pads for my kids.

Walmart had the unit with two books as a bundle
BJ's had the unite with two books and an extra pen as a bundle
Toys R Us had the unit but two different books with a different percentage off.

I gave up trying to sort it out and bought the units at a stand alone price (on sale) and the books stand alone on sale.

Coincidentally, the stand alone units on sale were way cheaper than the bundle prices.

 

[bicker]

This is part of the never-ending struggle against commoditization. When retailers compete solely on price, they cannot grow revenues well enough to satisfy their owners (primarily our retirement funds -- T minus 18 years and counting). That weakens the retailers, financially, opening them up to take-over by a retailer who does effectively market to customers. Eventually, all the retailers who compete solely on price are gone. It's a reflection of the demand by the folks saving for retirement that the companies that they own stock in make lots of money (more trips to WDW when I'm old and gray!), and that's not going to change!

Of course, there is the other scenario -- where commoditization prevails, and all the sellers compete on price. Since they're all equally weakened, they try to find another way to satisfy those retirement funds, so they grow profits by cutting costs, i.e., reducing quality.

Which is better? Perhaps it even depends on what it is. Even for something like TP, do I really want to see where a never-ending spiral of decreasing quality leads?

 

[angeleigh]

Just a side note - if you like to comparison shop some things to remember - if you are shopping online you need to clear cookies at each site you go to and hope to find the same deal on a second visit. For shopping in stores that use shoppers cards the coupons you get on your reciept are a direct reflection of your value to the store as a customer based on past purchases. An interesting article on CNN about this explains how it works and confirms that DH is not insane when he insists to get the best deals on Airfare you need to clear cookies after each search (you know the all too common "saw a great price online and went back to purchase but they were gone when I got back....".


http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/06/01/internet.shopping.ap/index.html

 

[Taja]

I'm weird, but I always clear the cookies and temporary internet files on my computer after each session! As noted, it does affect the information made available to you--even within 15 minutes or so!

 

[malibuconlee]

Hey Taja, funny seeing you here. - Renae

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

Hi Taja and Renae

I have noticed this about comparison shopping. The stores look good by offering to match prices but it's almost impossible to find an exact item.