I was doing some online shopping for new toys and on one of the opinion boards a user posted that Sears will match prices posted by internet websites on the spot.
I was hoping someone here could validate or deny that. I mean I’ve found some prices at Yahoo that would save me ~$250 ($600 vs $850 at Best Buy) before shipping and going to Sears and getting these prices would save me around $50+ in shipping costs plus the ability to return/exchange the items in case of defect. Sounds like a great deal, alomost too good. Ergo why I’m asking you wise folks.
What say you, anyone out there know of this?
An additional question for anyone who has actually taken advantage of this. How do they check it? I mean, I suppose they could jump online and go to the website when you are there, but do they actually do that? Last time I was at Sears they didn’t have internet connections at the registers. I know I could really easily edit one of the online storefronts pages to whatever price I wanted before printing it out. Hmmmm, how ethical must I be?
I’d give it a shot, but I think they get around this by everyone selling a slightly different model number, different brands, etc. But that’s for brick&mortar setups, so getting info from the Internet may throw them for a loop.
Staples is the only bricks-and-mortar store I’ve used to match a 'net price. It was great - found a Palm Vx for $269.99 on a website (an amazing deal in itself), got Staples to Price Match, then used a $30 off coupon… Ended up getting the Palm for a discount of $130 off the $349.99+tax Best Buy price.
This doesn’t seem the least bit likely to me. I’ve never heard of “price matching” being done by swapping brands and models…it would completely negate the entire premise of the offer. Even from Brick and Mortar to Brick and Mortar, I’ve never heard any store using this tactic.
Loverboy, I agree if the statement is true it is an awesome deal. I just haven’t heard anything about it, which makes me skeptical. Although with some of the deals I could find I can see why they would like to avoid encouraging it. Then again why do it at all if they don’t use it as a sales tool, ergo publicize it.
Staples matching net prices? Are you sure? They might have a disclaimer like Office Depot that states they won’t match net prices but local prices.
Dunno about sears though.
“I think they get around this by everyone selling a slightly different model number,
different brands”
dave, thanks, my first instinct was to hit the Sears website too. Of course the website now is just their eCommerce portal and tells very little about their Brick and Mortar ops.
Seeing the other links you tossed up I think I’m going to take my print out over to Sears this week and see if I can get them to do a match. At least now I can argue confidently without feeling like a rube. I imagine that it won’t be a gimme and that its going to be at the owners discretion, that makes me wish I could find a cite where Sears advertised they will do eCommerce price matching. Having that smoking gun I could more easily assert that their not agreeing to match would constitute false advertising.
I’ll report back with details, in case other dopers are interested in screwing the poor Chicago-based department store chain.
Still interested in any first hand anecdotes, or suggestions where i might dig up a Sears press release stating this plan.
Demo,
“Brick and Mortar” is used to refer to RL stores taht actually physically exist - ex: the Barnes and Noble at 18th and 5th is a Brick and Mortar store, as opposed to http://www.bn.com, their cyberstore.
I went into Sears and they do indeed match ECommerce prices. Didn’t even have to haggle, or debate it with the guy. There was one catch I’m afraid, they were out of stock of the product I wanted. Damn it.