How to Price Match

Here are just a few tips to make price matching at Walmart easier--

Before Shopping:

  • Know your Walmart
    • Each store may set the area to which they will price match. I think a 15 mile radius is pretty standard, but stores in more rural areas may have a larger radius.
    • If you're not sure, a manager or customer service should be able to tell you.
  • Gather your deals
    • You can find a complete list of the deals for the week on this blog
    • If you feel more comfortable, you can take the paper ads with you,though you do not have to. In fact, the Walmart Ad Match Guarantee policy states "We do not require customers to have the ad with them to honor a competitor's ad."
    • The match must come from a printed ad, not an in-store ad or an online-only ad.
  • Be prepared
    • Not every Walmart will have every item you'll be looking for. Some flexilbility may be required. 
    • Decide before hand what you will do if there is a problem at the register. Will you pay full price for the item? Would you prefer giving it back? Would you like to ask for a manager? No need to be flustered when you're prepared!

At the register:

  • Put anything you're *not* price matching on the conveyor belt first. 
    • This  gives you time to get situated before the price matching begins. 
    • You can even make a small break in your line of items between things that are regular priced, and things that you will be price matching.
    • Let your checker know, "Everything up to the bananas is the Walmart price, and I'd like to price match everything else," or, "I'd like to do some price matching starting at the Tostitos."
  • Be ready to tell your checker the price of each item.
  • Remember, you do not have to bring the ad with you.
  • Sometimes, I have had a checker ask which store I am price matching to. I have never ever had a checker pull out an ad to double check, but they are allowed/encouraged to if they doubt.
  • Be as polite and helpful to your checker as you can. They will love you for it!

What can I price match?:

  • You can price match anything in any print ad if there is a price stated. 
    • Groceries
    • Toiletry items
    • Electronics
    • Board games
    • Office supplies
    • Anything else you see in a printed ad! But--
  • The two products must be exactly the same. 
    • Same brand
    • Same size
    • Same flavor
    • Same weight
    • Same count
    • Same quality, etc.
  • You may match a competitor's store brand to Walmart's "Great Value" brand
    • For example, Albertson's ad says that Albertson's brand 15 oz can of medium black olives are $.88 each. You may price match to the Great Value brand 15 oz can of medium black olives.
  •  If the price isn't specifically stated, then things like "50% off" or "buy one get one free" are not eligible for price matching.
    • For example, "All DVD's--buy one at $11.99, get one free" is ok, but "All Dr. Suess books 50% off" is not.
  • Walmart also will not honor other stores' offers for gift cards, gas points, or deals that require you to buy one item in order to get a discount on a second, different item. 
    • For example, "buy 2 boxes of Kellogg's cereal at $2.99 and receive a free gallon of milk." You could price match the cereal, but not receive a free gallon of milk.

Do you have any questions?
Leave me a note, and I'm happy to answer them!

10 comments:

  1. Question.. I run a coupon swap page on Facebook and there is a huge split on this issue.. Can I price match the price AFTER the RR or ECB? Like for example WAGS has their Kotex Tampons for $3 w/ $3 RR so its like paying $.99, well at my walmart in Shreveport/Bossier Louisiana, I do not have any issues pricematching after the RR.. So my question is.. Whats the RULE regarding that?

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    1. Hi Christine! The official rule would say no, according to their policy Walmart does not have to honor the post-RR or -ECB price. The reason is because the RR and ECB's (and I'm sure you know this) are actually coupons issued by the manufacturer after the transaction is complete. The actual price of the product as it rings through the register does not take the RR or ECB into account.

      In practice, a lot of Walmart stores don't make the distinction. Whether or not each store actually observes this part of the policy is a matter of the preference/informed-ness of the managers and the training of their employees. I would expect over time to see fewer and fewer Walmarts allowing to price match to the post-RR or -ECB price.

      Good luck with your coupon swap! It's a great way to save money on the everyday items we need!

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  2. hi There! thank you so much for this blog! I have not seen another one that just deals with Walmart price matching. Question: You are in Denton and so am I. I use the one on Swisher since I have been told that they are the most price match friendly. Do you find that to be true? Also, do you get checkers or managers that question you? Do you show them a printed policy if they do? I have had them tell me I can't price match to dollar stores. Also, I didn't know I could price match to Aldi or Market Street. Do you ever bring in ads, or just your list? I have found the checker is more trusting of you if you have an actual ad in your hand or from online. I used to just hand write my list and tell them, but it seems lately more an more people are scamming them and they have started to ask. It really just depends on the checker. I just don't want to get into an argument with a checker, it's embarrassing. Anyways, I have been price matching my produce for over a year, but your list makes it way easier to price match other items too. Thank you so much!

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    1. Hi, Erin!

      Great questions! It's nice to meet another Denton-ite! Let's see--
      1) I price match at Swisher Road most of the time, because it's more convenient for me, but the few times I have gone to Razor Ranch they have actually seemed a little less picky, imo. However, at either store, if you keep everything "by the book" I haven't had a problem at either place.
      2) I have never had a manager called over, and I know of only one person who has had that happen. I frequently get checkers who ask me on really killer deals to tell them them store I'm price matching to.
      3) I have never shown the Price Matching Policy to a checker or manager who questioned the item. In my case, verifying the store for them has usually been sufficient. On the one occasion when it wasn't, I went ahead and paid full price for the item, 'cause a) I really needed it, b) I had already saved so much money on the other items, and c) the argument isn't worth it to me. Like you said, it's kind of embarrassing, I don't really want to that experience.
      4) I asked customer service specifically about dollar stores and they have said "As long as they have a printed, circulated ad and are within our price matching radius, then we don't care what kind of store it is." (Denton's Walmarts, like most Walmarts located in urban areas have a price matching radius of 15 miles). I have price matched dollar store items many times and have never had a problem.
      5) You are correct--Market Street is too far away to price match in Denton (but there are readers in Frisco and other places who would be able to price match there). We used to be in the same boat with Aldi, but in March a new Aldi opened up in Little Elm which is now inside the 15 mile limit for Denton, so Aldi deals are back on for Denton! I had a specific conversation with customer service about this, and they verified it.
      6) I never bring the ads in with me. Walmart's official policy says "We do not require customers to have the ad with them to honor a competitor's ad." That phrase was added in January, and I have never, not once brought an ad since then. However, I do always bring the list from my blog noting which store each deal comes from. When a checker questions an item, knowing which store it comes from can help them feel confident that you are not just *making it up,* especially when you can give them details about the deal--you can tell them, "this price is for the 20 oz loaf from Albertsons" or "This deal is for the bone-in, country style, pork ribs from El Rancho."

      You're right, scamming has become a problem, and I have had several checkers mention it to me. Customer service told me that the checkers are responsible to either be familiar enough with the ads from the week that they know a fraudulent deal when they see one, or they are instructed to stop and check the ad themselves (because they are supposed to have the full stack of ads at each register, though I know that doesn't always happen). When a checker questions me on several items, I just offer "if you'd like to stop and check any of the ads, please, please do. I was pretty thorough in my preparation, but I welcome you to check." I want them to see my confidence, that I know that it is all legitimate. I also want them to understand that I know some of the deals are unbelievable, but there's no cause for concern. I have never had an ad pulled on me to check, though I do know of two cases where that did happen to other people.

      Congratulations on the continued price matching. Did that answer your questions alright? I'd love to answer any more questions that I have--feel free to shoot them my way!

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  3. Thank you so much for your blog! I've got a question... I just tried to price match a rotisserie chicken at Wal-mart to the Tom Thumb sale price and I was rudely turned down! They even refused to give me a copy of the pricing policy.

    Do you think price matching a rotisserie chicken is illegal in terms of the price match policy?

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    1. Catherine,

      I'm sorry for the sour experience. It's too bad they couldn't just politely explain why, instead of treating you like a crook :/ I know some who have successfully price matched rotisserie chickens in the past, but this could be one item with some room for interpretation...

      The official policy says it this way: "Items purchased must be identical to the ad (size, quantity, brand, flavor, color, etc.)" The unstated corollary is: if it's not possible to determine that the items are exactly identical, then they don't *have* to honor it, and it's up to the manager's discretion.

      I have always assumed that rotisserie chickens are generally the same, but I can see how it might be possible for a manager to argue that most they're not exactly identical. Perhaps the ad did not specify the size or weight of the chicken, or maybe it didn't say what kind of seasonings (or lack thereof) were used, or something equally minor. It would give just enough wiggle room for a manager to say that the two items could not be positively identified as being identical.

      Its stiffer than I usually see to turn down price matching a rotisserie chicken, though I have seen a general tightening down lately. I'm especially sorry for the rudeness you had to deal with. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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  4. I love your blog! Thanks so much for the help! I have had a checker at the Loop 288 in Denton Walmart pull ads on me a couple of times in one check out and she told me both times my price was wrong. Since I hadn't actually seen the ads myself I couldn't argue. I know there is obviously room for error since we are human, but you mentioned how thorough you are and I wondered if you had a suggestion for me if that were to happen again. I don't like confrontation at all so I just went with what the checker said. Most of the time, though, I have no problem.

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    1. Hi Melanie!
      Thanks for sharing your experience. I don't know that I have very helpful suggestions when it comes to checkers saying we're wrong...I usually do what you did: just not make a fuss and go on with life. When I have been positive about the price, I offer for them to check, and that's usually enough evidence to them to head them off before they actually grab an ad.

      I do try to be careful, but I definitely make mistakes--sometimes big ones! I'm sorry it cause trouble for you.

      I have two thoughts: 1) if you perhaps tried to use this site on a Wednesday, there could have been some problems. The new ads come out on Wednesday, but because it takes quite a few hours for me to put the list together, I haven't been posting the updated list until Thursdays. Consequently, there isn't a current list on this site on most Wednesdays--so, if it was a Wednesday, the checker could have been using the new ads, and there would have been a lot of discrepancies.

      2) The new ads that come in the mail (as opposed to in the paper) are delivered on Tuesdays, and it might be possible that they are checking ads that arrived a day earlier than the ad's effective date. If you suspect they're using the wrong ad and have a smart phone, you may have the option of looking up the ad yourself, but that may take too much time to be worth the fuss...

      I don't know if either of those was the case or not, but I would be interested in knowing if the items that got questioned came from the same ad, or if they were the same type of item (ie meat or produce or something)--so I can know if there's a certain area where I need to be double-checking.

      I do find Loop 288 the pickiest of all the Walmarts where I have tried to price match. I hope it wasn't too bad an experience. :/

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  5. SO, I am in Haslet and usually shop at the Walmart in Roanoke, off of 377. By way of Google Maps, the two Mercados you use are 15.3 miles and 15.8 miles away from that Walmart... Do you think that that is close enough to count? We have Sprouts, Tom Thumb, Kroger, Aldi and Alberston's closer... but the Mercados seem to have pretty rockin' deals on produce! *fingers crossed they'll work* Looking forward to using your site this week!

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    1. Hi Ashley!

      There's good news! Walmart defines their area of distance as a radius, and not distance by driving. As far as I can tell, as the crow flies, both mercados are within 15 miles. The only thing to double check is that the Walmart in Roanoke honors ads 15 miles away (some Walmart's do further, and some are not as far). A quick call to customer service can help you verify.

      It's hard to beat those produce deals, so I hope they will work for you! You may know this already, but be prepared on the more incredible deals to tell the checker where the deal came from. They might ask you for the ad--The Walmart Ad Match policy does not require you to have it! But if you do have access to it (either the paper copy or pulled up on a phone), it can speed the process along if the checker decides that they need to stop and look.

      Good luck, and happy savings!

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