Walmart doesn't pricematch Walmart

[Dolomite_supafly]

So the other day my wife and I were shopping in Walmart for her Christmas present. We found what we were looking for in the store and it was $140. I looked at Walmart.com and found the exact same item for $120. I thought to myself I will just show them their website price and they will match it. Not so fast. I asked the associate to price match and they said they will not match ANY website. I tried explaining to her that it was THEIR website and she she it doesn't matter.

 

So I try to find a manager because this can't be right. Walmart HAS to match Walmart. So waited around for a manager that never came so I called into the store I was standing in and asked for a manager.

 

After about 10 minutes a nice gentlemen got on the phone. I asked if he was the manager and said he was an assistant manager. Then I asked why they do not price match their website. He went on to say the stores are not affiliated in any way with Walmart.com. He said they would not honor any prices from the website but he did say if we ordered from Walmart.com we could have the item shipped to the store.

 

So because of their policy we decided to shop around a bit more. And good for us we found one locally for the same price as Walamrt.com. The best part is we didn't have to wait and had our item that day.

 

I still don't see how they are not affiliated. Having a policy saying they won't price match is one thing but saying they are not affiliated is another.

 

Dolomite

[CQB Elite]

Walmart.com does not have the overhead that Walmart Stores have so their prices are cheaper. They are part of the same company but I can see why they wouldn't compete with itself.

[Mike.357]

It is a game, I assume most would get frustrated and just buy it then and there.

 

reminds me of an electronics store that I knew of years back.  They had a guarantee that they would beat anyone's price on like items.

Seems all of their electronics and appliances has model numbers exclusive to their store.  No other store could possibly have like items.

It was a racket.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Mike.357

[Guest sL1k]

I ran into this when I purchased a tablet. Wal-Mart's solution was to tell me this. "Order it online and select ship to store we will then have it ready for you in 30 minutes if we have it in stock" an exchange from a Walmart.com purchase to in store is just as crazy. They will refund you the exact purchase price if it doesn't work at the store then you repurchase online ship to store.

[Steelharp]

Wal-Mart only price matches local, same area competitors. Here locally, prices at the Hendersonville one are a little cheaper than the Gallatin store. Ammo is usually about a two buck a box difference.

[runco]

I would imagine Walmart.com is an independent profit center vs. the brick and motar store. Different pocket same pair of pants. We consumers see the pants, and don't care about the pocket, they do.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I wrote corporate a letter to let them know how I feel. Lets see what kind of response I get. I know they are generally pretty receptive to letters I have wrote in the past.

 

Dolomite

[Sam1]

Same thing when I worked at Best Buy in college, they said that it was because of som legal issues but I think it was because of exactly what you said that they just have no overhead and they have to make money somehow

[Caster]

Had a similar problem with the crossbow remember? Walmart dot com, so I was told, is almost a totally different company. They don't have much to do with one another.

[PolePosition]

For some brick and mortar stores, prices differ from their online counterparts, not only because of overhead differences, but because they are registered and operate as separate businesses. That is why some web stores will say "Internet price only" or something to that effect. Although it is the same name and more than likely same owner(s), on paper, they operate differently.

[runco]

I do know that Wal-Mart has certain items in the brick & mortar stores that vary in pricing from one store to the next. Motor oil is a prime example, and I have been told that certain Wal-Mart’s belong to certain regional districts, the regional districts can have different pricing models or assumptions due to competition and market trends.      I know this for certain on certain items, take for example the Wal-Mart closest to me (10 miles South) is in one district, I think out of Chattanooga, whereas another Wal-Mart (12 miles North) is in another district. There are certain items, motor oil, certain grociries (same brand), and few other common items that have different pricing, not much difference, but different.  Then I am originally from Sevierville, the Wal-Mart there is always 3-10% higher on most items, I guess it was for the tourist. Locals in Sevierville know to go to Wal-Mart in Newport, Jefferson City, and South Knoxville to save a few pennies. Same stuff, different pricing structure. Here is one that I found odd and not what I expected: We recently went to Hawaii for family vacation back in the summer, spent practically every other day at a Wal-Mart for a few items, tourist stuff, food, etc., had some time to observe other items for comparison to home, the results were surprising, though most food staples were extremely expensive, but hard line items were exactly the same as East Tennessee pricing. I would have thought it would be more expensive due to the extra logistics costs to Hawaii. 

Edited December 24, 2012 by Runco

[1morethan8]

With this computer and my phone I can "price match" just about any item in a very short time. What you need to do if possible is to check and be able to receive it before you really need the item.

 

One thing to remember... If you order any item, you compare the total price! Buy in state and you pay sales tax. buy online in your state and you may have to pay both tax and shipping.

 

Talking to managers, writing letters, would be a waste of time with large companies... my time is money. I don't sweat the small stuff!

[vontar]

I ran into that last year at Walmart.  However once time they matched an online discount that I had missed with out asking.  The online product came with a gift card with purchase. 

So the racket is some items and not others.

 

 

It is a game, I assume most would get frustrated and just buy it then and there.

 

reminds me of an electronics store that I knew of years back.  They had a guarantee that they would beat anyone's price on like items.

Seems all of their electronics and appliances has model numbers exclusive to their store.  No other store could possibly have like items.

It was a racket.

 

I used to work in a Computer store and I learned that quit but from the other side of the coin.

 

We sold HP printer that we had in stock.  (I might have the numbers wrong now)  It was an HP 720, however Walmart had the 721 or other slightly higher number.  Same printer, same parts, same driver.  However people liked the Walmart one better because they believed it was a newer model.

[glock55]

recently had same experience at dicks. bought gun at rivergate for 449. they only had one i wanted 2 so clerk called mt juliet store they had one. went there price was 549 for same gun. after some price matching discussion the manager said dicks does not price match thier own stores. end of discussion. walmart probably has same policy just wont admit it.

[Murgatroy]

I ran into the same problem with Academy. They told me they won't price match the internet.

[TGO David]

Meh... Target does the same thing.  Policies are what they are, I suppose.

[Dolomite_supafly]

It is one thing to not price match because of a policy. It is totally different to tell me Walmart and Walmart.com are not affiliated at all. Then in the next sentence says Walmart.com will ship to Walmart the store front.

 

Dolomite

[glock55]

It is one thing to not price match because of a policy. It is totally different to tell me Walmart and Walmart.com are not affiliated at all. Then in the next sentence says Walmart.com will ship to Walmart the store front.

 

Dolomite

kind of like politics. talking in circles to justify a policy

[runco]

Guys we the consumer don't care, but Wal-Mart competes against itself. I work in manufacturing, and our manufacturing plants are independent profit centers, and sometimes we can compete against ourselves for the same new business. Wal-Mart’s general managers are responsible for their store, and nothing more. Their performance pay is likely structured based upon the ugly word "profit". I am sure walmart.com has a general manager too just like a brick and mortar store does, his/her performance is based upon profit too. Highly likely when the local Wal-Mart has a site to store item, that local store charges walmart.com a handling fee, but the profit is reported under walmart.com.

 

Personal example, black Friday this year, we purchased one of those Emerson 32" tvs I think for $148, but our local Wal-Mart ran out before we could take delivery, and we were given a voucher from Walmart.com which would honor the $148 price. By email, they said they would honor the price, but delivery would be around Dec. 15th. We noticed a few days after Black Friday, our local Wal-Mart received a crap load of those 32" tvs, but we could not take delivery of ours. Then on the 14th, we received an email that our TV has shipped to our store, and then on the 15th, we received an email it was ready to be picked up. A very clear separation of inventory (one would think they would just go to the floor and retrieve one of the same tvs in inventory, but no it does not work that way).

 

At the end of the day, the profit centers do roll up to mighty Wal-Mart co. profit, but in daily operations each Wal-Mart works as an independent profit center, contends with cost of sales, and costs of inventory, labor, shrinkage, and other brick/mortar costs. Very simple. However, we consumers just want the same price through the Wal-Mart chain! We the consumers don't care about the interworking’s! However, the stock holders, mutual fund holders that have a Wal-Mart apart of their portfolio care very much about profit. Just remember, in a free market society, a business has an obligation to its ownership first, and then the customer. The customer is #1 sounds great, but it’s a Marketing spin, business ownership is #1, and then the consumer is #2. Without customers, a business is nothing, but without profit there is no business.

[Dustbuster]

when your product comes in, pay by check using this format.Tell them we dont write checks the way everyone else does..

[Dolomite_supafly]

[quote name="Dustbuster" post="868524" timestamp="1356468114"]when your product comes in, pay by check using this format.Tell them we dont write checks the way everyone else does.. [img=http://www.boingboing.net/filesroot/200903191054.jpg][/quote] I listened to the phone call that generated the check. It was quite humorous to anyone with a very basic understanding of math. If I remember correctly the Verizon associate couldn't comprehend the difference between .1 and .01. In the end the customer just got frustrated and hung up.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Here is a link to the call

http://boingboing.net/2009/03/19/verizon-doesnt-under.html Edited December 25, 2012 by Dolomite_supafly

[Dustbuster]

i thought someone might enjoy that,its another reason i dumped verizon years ago.  ;)

Edited December 25, 2012 by Dustbuster