Price matching
Shopping the specials offered by multiple stores at one location
Intro
“Price matching”, or a “price guarantee”, is when one store will match the lower advertised price of a competing store. The basic idea is this: if you see that store A has a good deal on potatoes in their weekly specials flyer, you could show store B that flyer, and get a bag of potatoes there at the sale price. This is a way to save money on groceries by taking advantage of deals offered at multiple stores in your area, without actually having to visit multiple stores.
If you aren't used to it, price matching can be intimidating! Grocery store check-out lines are busy and stressful places, and most of us do not want to introduce more complications at the till. Learning the rules in advance and following the steps below will help everything to go smoothly.
How to price match
1. Check grocery store websites for their price matching policies, and ask a manager at your local store about how the policies work at that location.
It’s important to do this directly instead of relying on online articles about which Canadian stores price match. Price matching policies can get pretty complicated, vary from location to location, and are subject to change at any time. It’s a good idea to speak to a manager before you try price matching to learn how that specific location applies these policies.
The simplest thing to do is to make sure you understand the price-matching policy at the store where you do most of your grocery shopping. If you are a dedicated bargain shopper, you can research the price-matching policies at all of the stores near you, and plan to shop at the store with the most flexible one.
Here’s an example of a price-matching policy, and the kinds of questions you may want to ask about it:
“We match prices. Applies only to our major supermarket competitors’ flyer items. Major supermarket competitors are determined solely by us based on a number of factors which can vary by store location.”
This price matching policy is restricted to flyer sales from “major supermarket competitors”. Each location decides for itself what other stores count as major supermarket competitors, so you’ll want to ask the store manager which other stores they price match with.
“We will match the competitor’s advertised price only during the effective date of the competitor’s flyer advertisement."
This means that the store will only price match during the time that the lower price is being offered by their competitors. Basically, you can’t bring an old flyer to the store and get price matching for the deals in it.
"WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES (note that our major supermarket competitors may not)."
There also may be a limit on the number of items you can buy for the sale price, even if the competing store is not limiting quantities.
"Due to the fact that product is ordered prior to the time of our Ad Match checks, quantities may be limited.”
The store won’t have ordered extra products to honour their competitor’s sale, so they may run out of sale items quickly.
“We match identical items (defined as same brand, size, and attributes) and in the case of fresh produce, meat, seafood and bakery, we match a comparable item (as determined solely by us).”
If you’re trying to price match most products at this store, you’ll need to find the exact same item that is offered in their competitor's flyer; same brand, same size, same color and flavor, and so on. You can ask a manager how price matching works for fresh produce, meat, seafood and bakery. There may be odd restrictions; for example, produce usually needs to be from the same country of origin as the item you’re trying to price match.
“We will not match competitors’ ‘multi-buys’ (eg. 2 for $4), ‘spend x get x’, ‘Free’, ‘clearance’, discounts obtained through loyalty programs..."
These are types of deals that the store will not price match. If you aren't clear about what they are, you can double-check with the manager. You may also want to ask about the types of deals that aren’t listed in the restrictions; does this store honour online sales prices that aren’t in flyers, for example? Are there restrictions on the number of items that can be price-matched per shopper? Can you apply coupons to an item that you’ve price-matched? And does the store offer refunds if you find a lower price later on?
We reserve the right to cancel or change the terms of this program at any time.
Don’t be surprised if the price-matching rules change later on!
You may feel uncomfortable about asking a manager so many questions, but if you’re being polite, it’s a reasonable thing to do. Understanding all of the rules and restrictions before you try to price match will save everyone time and frustration at check-out.
2. Find deals you want to price match
Once you understand the policy, it's pretty simple to find deals that your store will price match. Before you go grocery shopping, check the current flyers from your store's competitors. You can do this by using smartphone apps that compile store flyers, checking competing store's websites, or collecting paper flyers. If you find any deals that you would like to price match, either screenshot them on your phone or bring the paper flyer with you to the store so that you can show it to the cashier.
3. Find the advertised items in store
When you go grocery shopping, find the items you're interested in price matching. Stores can be picky about only price matching the exact same item that is in their competitor's flyer, so be careful about what you’re picking up! Most products need to be the same brand, size, variety and so on that is advertised in the flyer. Unbranded products like fresh produce or meat may have their own rules, which you should have details about from speaking to a manager. If you aren’t sure whether or not something will count as a price match, you can always check in with someone about it before heading up to the till.
4. Check out with your items
Most stores just do price matching at the check-out till, but some will have a dedicated lane or counter. If there are people behind you in line, you’ll want to have your price-matched items set apart from your regular purchases, and the competitor’s flyers (along with any other coupons you’re using) ready to go to speed up the process. The cashier will compare your items to the flyer and, if they’re eligible for price matching, manually discount the price.
Your cashier may need to contact a manager for instruction, or approval to apply price-matching discounts in the till. Remember that they have a tough job and no say in the store’s price-matching policy, so be patient if this happens and treat them with respect
5. Save your receipt
Some stores offer price matching for a limited time after you’ve made your purchase. So if you find an applicable deal the day after you go to the store, you can get a refund on the difference, either by applying online or visiting the customer service desk. This is more commonly done for big purchases like electronics rather than groceries, but if you’d like to save a buck, it’s something you can do! Just keep hold of your receipt, because you’ll need it to provide proof of purchase.
With these tips, hopefully, the process is less confusing, and you are ready to be a price-matching whiz at the store!
Source:
Price matching policy excerpts are from Real Canadian Superstore's Ad Match policy, as it appeared on August 23/2023.