Price Match=what's the point???

[Zhoen]

I just got an email from Toys R Us, touting their "fabulous" new price match policy...

... oh, but it doesn't work on doorbusters or black friday
... they will only adjust AFTER their own sales are accounted for (ie-walmart has it for $50, TRU has it for $55 and you have a $5/$50 coupon= they won't give you the $50 price and then the coupon..

I have never understood this. Why would I choose to go to store "B" to get a price match if I could just buy the thing at Store "A" in the first place? TRU never has good enough offers that I'm "in there anyway," so it's not like I'd be saving a trip by being there.

If I go to AAFES, I at least save the 6% tax by having them price-match. Sears I can at least get the SYWR points on my purchase, plus last year they were great about price-matching a Barbie my kid wanted and then letting me use a $-off-total-purchase coupon... Walmart will price-match AND it's a store I might be in for other stuff at the same time, thereby saving time and gas...

What does TRU hope to gain by this?

 

[Gorechick]

It helps if they have other items you want that are on sale there and you want to do your shopping in one place rather than drive around. I've price matched at Walmart in Black Friday instead of making multiple stops.

 

[mrsklamc]

It helps if they have other items you want that are on sale there and you want to do your shopping in one place rather than drive around. I've price matched at Walmart in Black Friday instead of making multiple stops.

She's not asking the point of price matching in general, she's saying TRU has so many exclusions it's worthless.

 

[cjnix29]

yeah, I hate toys r us. There prices are almost always higher, and the coupons they send you are mostly worthless because of all the exclusions. My favorite laughable sales are the legos.... buy one get one 40% off or whatever, considering they are about 40% higher than target on most legos, it is still way more expensive! Hate TRU!!!!

 

[luvmy3]

She's not asking the point of price matching in general, she's saying TRU has so many exclusions it's worthless.

Aren't those pretty standard exclusions for price matching?

 

[tasha99]

Aren't those pretty standard exclusions for price matching?

The Black Friday door busters wasn't always standard. A few years ago, I price matched Target items on BF at Walmart. It was just so handy to be shopping for things not in the line of the stampede. It might be standard now, though.

 

[jgreco]

I have never understood this. Why would I choose to go to store "B" to get a price match if I could just buy the thing at Store "A" in the first place?

Because MOST people aren't savvy shoppers like us. Most people will just pay full price out of convenience or ignorance, meanwhile they also are capturing the savvy shoppers in them knowing they'll get the best price.

 

[danceintherain]

It's advertising, and I'm sure there are probably some instances when it makes sense to price match at TRU. If you're buying several things for instance? Basically, you can pick a store and price match the items that are more expensive there.

I don't love TRU either, but obviously some people do shop there, or they would have gone out of business a long time ago.

 

[Gorechick]

It's advertising, and I'm sure there are probably some instances when it makes sense to price match at TRU. If you're buying several things for instance? Basically, you can pick a store and price match the items that are more expensive there.

I don't love TRU either, but obviously some people do shop there, or they would have gone out of business a long time ago.

That was my point. If you go to one store that has most of what you want in stock and on sale, price match whatever else you can to save a trip.

 

[Fire14]

I personally have shopped trus once in 10+ yrs I've lived down here, ones in MI closed years ago. I'm queen of price matching target prices at walmart for multiple reasons.

 

[merbobear]

I'm not sure what their policy is for online price matches, but I know the store I work in matches to anyone except for online auction sites (ebay). In that case, the point is that you A) don't pay shipping and/or B) get to own the item today vs in a couple business days.

Also, as others mentioned, getting the entire shopping list done in one store.
Even though you (op) might not be "in the store anyway," a lot of people are...the price matching caters to the majority of their customers, not one person who doesn't like shopping there

Another reason is that the store with the sale might be sold out.

 

[luvmy3]

What bothers me is when a store won't price match their own website price.

 

[merina888]

I loved when Buy Buy Baby opened in my area. Previously we only had Babies R Us which is frequently out of what I want and the store always looks like a bargain sale went on. Buy Buy Baby takes BRU/TRU coupons for their items and frequently will price match BRU but not advertise it. For example, when BRU runs their trade-in sale where they give you 25% off a new baby gear item when you bring in an old one. BRU didn't carry the double stroller model I wanted. So I hopped over to BBB and asked if they honored the same sale and they did. So I brought in a broken pack-n-play and got 25% off the stroller model I wanted that BRU didn't carry. I also use BRU's coupons at BBB and they don't pay too much attention to the exclusions written on the coupon like BRU does.

 

[ICF]

What bothers me is when a store won't price match their own website price.

Me Too!!

My story on that....

WalMart had an IPod touch on their site for $200. Went to the store, wrongly thinking that that would be price in the store too. It wasn't, it was $225 (or so).

I asked about the price difference and if I could get it for $200. I was told, "Nope, we don't price match our website."

To make it worse....I went home, ordered it on their website -- with free in-store pick up, and still got it for $200. But this way, I had to use multiple associates time at the p/u station vs just having the guy in electronics help me with it the night before?!?!?!?! And of course also wasted my time and gas to go back there to pick it up.....seemed like such a dumb process to me.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

What bothers me is when a store won't price match their own website price.

That bugs me too! TRU told me they will do that this year when I asked how the price matching works, then again the employee said they were not matching other stores so I have no idea if he was right.

 

[Fire14]

What bothers me is when a store won't price match their own website price.

I'm so there with you. I had case of store not matching same store in another city so I walked out of high priced store and drove to low priced store to save 20.00 plus dollars.

 

[Fire14]

Me Too!!

My story on that....

WalMart had an IPod touch on their site for $200. Went to the store, wrongly thinking that that would be price in the store too. It wasn't, it was $225 (or so).

I asked about the price difference and if I could get it for $200. I was told, "Nope, we don't price match our website."

To make it worse....I went home, ordered it on their website -- with free in-store pick up, and still got it for $200. But this way, I had to use multiple associates time at the p/u station vs just having the guy in electronics help me with it the night before?!?!?!?! And of course also wasted my time and gas to go back there to pick it up.....seemed like such a dumb process to me.

Same thing happened to me but in my case, I do a lot of in store pick ups so I get mypoints credit, save moola, other stupid reasons.

I'm so bad that I have BFF picking up my ipod touch case for me at her Best Buy. She is in that area a lot anyway, ( I can't get it down here wrong school) and I refuse to pay more in shipping than cost of item, plus the whole fedex/UPS saying my address doesn't exsist.

 

[robinb]

I'm not sure what their policy is for online price matches, but I know the store I work in matches to anyone except for online auction sites (ebay). In that case, the point is that you A) don't pay shipping and/or B) get to own the item today vs in a couple business days.

That's pretty amazing. Where do you work?

 

[bedogged]

I just got an email from Toys R Us, touting their "fabulous" new price match policy...

... oh, but it doesn't work on doorbusters or black friday
... they will only adjust AFTER their own sales are accounted for (ie-walmart has it for $50, TRU has it for $55 and you have a $5/$50 coupon= they won't give you the $50 price and then the coupon..

I have never understood this. Why would I choose to go to store "B" to get a price match if I could just buy the thing at Store "A" in the first place? TRU never has good enough offers that I'm "in there anyway," so it's not like I'd be saving a trip by being there.

If I go to AAFES, I at least save the 6% tax by having them price-match. Sears I can at least get the SYWR points on my purchase, plus last year they were great about price-matching a Barbie my kid wanted and then letting me use a $-off-total-purchase coupon... Walmart will price-match AND it's a store I might be in for other stuff at the same time, thereby saving time and gas...

What does TRU hope to gain by this?

I get really frustrated with TRU and BRU! I went yesterday and got two huge boxes of Pampers and a large box of wipes well over $100.00. I got a $25.00 gift card for this deal purchase. Catch....you can only use it 6 hours+ after getting it so you have to come back. Okay, I want to buy a $39.00 walker and when I go back they are out. I ask if they can order one? Oh yes, BUT they expect me to pay for shipping! Cost would be over $100.00. That is ridiculous! They finally found one at another store across town for me. Not at all consumer friendly.