Foximus – frugal living tips - Why You Should Price Match

I made a pit stop at my local grocery store one day to pick up some pop, which was on sale three for ten bucks. My husband drinks gallons of it and he’s not brand fussy, so I like to stock up when it’s on sale. I load up six twelve packs in my cart along with a few other items and head for the cashier. It was rather busy and as luck would have it, I am directly behind a woman who is pulling out coupons and flyers. Ok, I realize this might hold up the line, but I’m all for saving a buck, so do what you have to do.

Others behind me in line were not so gracious, and the grumbling begins as this woman starts pointing out sale items in a competitor’s flyer. This store has a price match policy. As we all now wait for the supervisor to arrive and issue the price match, the woman looks to me and apologizes for the delay. When she is finished, she hands me the flyer and points out the pop I am buying is on sale elsewhere for $2.88 per case. My math skills are not quite polished enough to total the difference on the spot, but I know it’s less than the $3.33 that drew me to the store.

The cashier eyes me unblinkingly, one hand on the phone ready to call the supervisor. I hear the rumbling of irritated people behind me. For a moment I am frozen, caught in a debate of taking the savings available, or throwing my money away for the sake of politeness to fellow shoppers. The flyer is right there in my hand, how could I possibly say no? I ask for a price match. It goes much quicker for me, since the cashier and the supervisor had the benefit of a practice run from the previous customer. Not wishing to belittle the good deed offered by the woman who gave me the flyer, I ask if anyone else needs it. Three people say yes, and I ceremoniously pass it down the line.

As it turns out, my little adventure in price matching saved me $2.70 for the six cases of pop that I bought. I am also now aware that my local grocer price matches, an element that has somehow escaped my attention until now. As I look through the litter of flyers I receive every week, I am consciously aware that a couple of my regular shopping haunts offer price matching. I think of all the sales I missed at other stores because I never got around to going in to pick up the sale item. If it’s not my regular destination, I rarely remember to go.

The next week I meticulously examined the various flyers that arrived at my door. I made myself a detailed list of specific items and which flyer they are advertised in as well as price. I venture to my local Wal-Mart, list and pen in hand, and begin my shopping. As I find items on my list, I make note of the regular price next to the flyer price. I certainly don’t want to ask for a price match on something that is already less at Wal-Mart than in the competing flyer. I have thirty items on my list, ranging from shampoo to diapers. One item I cannot find in Wal-Mart, and one is actually two cents less already. That leaves 28 items.

It’s early afternoon, and the store is not overly busy. I find a relatively short line up and begin unloading my cart. As soon as it’s my turn, I show the flyers to the cashier and advise her I need several items price matched. She rings in the items, and upon completion, we begin examining the advertisements. A couple people are now behind me in line to whom I apologize for the delay. The first lady waves her hand in a “no problem” gesture. The man mutters a curse and looks for another line up.

I will confess, it takes a few minutes for the supervisor to verify all the items and adjust the prices, but it was worth it. I saved a total of $17.12 on 28 items, all of which are regular weekly staples for me. I got the best available price without visiting several different stores. It took a little time at the cash, granted, but much less time than it would take to shop each store separately.

Price matching is well worth the effort. Saving a few bucks each week really adds up over the course of a year, and the fact is many retailers offer it knowing full well most shoppers won’t take advantage of it. It’s a great way to stretch your budget and makes shopping for sale items much more convenient. If you haven’t given it a whirl, you really should. However, I must warn you, while price matching can offer you some great savings, don’t expect to make friends of your fellow shoppers at the checkout line.