Price Matching at Walmart has been something that a lot of people have ended up doing instead of couponing. It’s a great way to save money at the store and not have to trek around to a bunch of different stores to get the deals.
A couple months ago, readers were emailing me telling me they were having issues with Walmart Price Matching. Cashiers were saying that the policy had changed… yet their online policy had not changed. Talk about super frustrating to deal with that each time you guys were at the grocery store! So there was nothing to announce, nothing to share… just that a few stores were being difficult.
Well it looks like Walmart has finally changed the online Price Matching Policy. Here are the most important things to note with the changes:
- Walmart will NO LONGER let you price match their store brand for another store’s brand. Like Great Values Brand (Walmart) for a Kroger Brand product. That was one of the biggest reasons to Price Match at Walmart. And it doesn’t look like that is an option for us anymore.
- “We do not require customers to have the ad with them to honor a competitor’s ad, but we reserve the right to verify an ad at any time; we also require the store to verify the ad if there is a difference in price greater than 25% from the competitor.” This means that basically your Walmart store and manager can do whatever they want when it comes to Price Matching. To help alleviate some of the pain, I would recommend that you bring copies of other store’s ads with you so you can quickly show the competing store’s prices.
- Walmart has also added this following phrase: “Walmart reserves the right to verify an ad at any time, update or modify the terms of the Ad Match (Competition) Policy and its associated pricing strategies at any time.”
One of the biggest reasons for these changes is that people were taking advantage of the Price Matching Policy. Some were making up numbers and claiming a particular store had the item for that price. And not only that, but some people went as far as to actually graphically alter the ads to show a much bigger price difference than what the price really was. (Hence the “greater than 25%” part above.) Crazy right?? So once again, all of the honest people out there, like us, are getting punished for those dishonest people out there who are ruining the system.
We all still want to save money. So here are my tips on How To Price Match Now:
#1: If you find that one Walmart manager is either making up their own Price Matching Policy rules or not sticking to what corporate has posted online, then you might want to find a different Walmart store to shop at. Walmart has given managers the final say when it comes to Price Matching. So if it’s just too stressful or too much work to Price Match, you might want to find a different location.
#2: Check all of the ads from your favorite stores. And pick the store that has the best deals for that week and shop at that one. If you have time, you could pick 2 stores.
This is what I have been doing for some time now. Price Matching is/was supposed to save us money but it was also supposed to save us time. If I have to argue with cashiers, or educate them each time I shop (even at the same store), it gets exhausting. And I don’t have time to sit at the register for an extra 15 minutes while they go off to verify each and every item I need to Price Match.
Each week, I check out the weekly ads and pick the store that has the best deals. And if the week has two great ads, I will try to make it to both stores whenever I am in that area. That way I am still getting the same prices I would Price Match–without the hassle. Do I miss out on a few deals at other stores? Yes, I do. But if I really, really need an item because I am completely out, then I usually consider hitting that store up that week. But that’s when the whole creating a “Stock Pile” or “Food Storage” philosophy comes into play. 😉
This is What I Do Now:
- Stick to the best deals at one or two stores.
- Shop every 1 or 2 weeks. (Yes, sometimes I don’t even shop during the week because none of the store’s ads are worth my time.)
- Take my gas time and my personal time into consideration when deciding whether to go to more than one store. (I will usually only go to a second store if I know I am driving my daughter to dance class and have an hour to kill. The store is nearby and I’m not wasting gas or time to get there.)
- STILL use any coupons that help me save even more. Remember, we have coupons from so many sources now like Checkout51, Ibotta and even digital coupons you can add to your shopper’s card from your smartphone. Some of these coupons will stack on the same item too!
Checkout is still fast, you won’t argue with cashiers and you still get the great deals your family needs! So there’s my two cents. Feel free to do something similar!
**If you are lucky, you might have a Walmart store that is still following the old policies. If that is the case, lucky duck! If the manager is allowing it, then definitely use it. 🙂
Ok, your turn!! Have you guys been having problems with Price Matching at Walmart?? What have you changed or adjusted to still save money for your family??
cadi
Do you have a web page just for best price fruits and veggies for weekly ads? Thanks Cadi
Melissa
Wonder how this will effect price matching fruits and vegetables at Walmart?
Erica
At one Walmart awhile back didn’t always price match for instant Rancho Market fruits & veggies or just some things there. So that has started.
Leigh
Hey Melea,
I don’t know if you remember but, I sent you an email in June about these very changes. I guess it just took a little longer for it to reach your state. *hee* (Oklahoma to Utah) I so understand your shock & frustration!! What I’m doing to “cope” is still browsing the circulars on-line & now going to stores that have the deals. Thankfully, there are quite a few at my disposal. It was just way more convenient to “1 Stop Shop” at Wal-Mart. Anyway, now it depends on the items necessity &/or usage. I too greatly miss the generic for generic deals!! That was a huge hunk of my business. I feel like I’m “sticking” to Wal-Mart by taking my business elsewhere.
I’ll be curious to hear the way other people are coping & hope to use their ideas & suggestions.
I never did talk to a manager & so far *BANG ON WOOD*, I haven’t had any problems w/ the miniscule ones I’ve used. I can understand their reasons for doing so but, it’s always the ones that play by the rules that get penalized, eh?
Joey
Personally I stopped shopping at Walmart altogether. I just ad shop at my favorite store now. Walmart gives you so much grief with everything and really does not have the customer in mind therefore I took my business elsewhere. I personally hope they will loose so much business that one day they will hopefully treat their employees and customers better.
Bonnie Anderson
I’m choosing to do exactly what Leigh does. I have many stores within my radius area for shopping, so when I have time, I shop at the store with the deals I like. No more fussing over matching with Walmart. More often than not, the quality is lacking compared to how other stores present items, or they plain just didn’t stock it. No biggy.
Tiffany
I gave up on price matching at Wal-mart awhile back. It was nice in theory, but often I found Wal-mart sold a different size of the item I wanted to price match, so it wasn’t exactly the same and couldn’t be matched. My Wal-mart doesn’t restock well, so the items I was looking for were often missing from a very empty shelf. Also, the cashiers made me feel like it was a huge hassle, and I often felt very defensive. Now I look at the ads and pick the best store for the week, too.
Roz
And dont forget the walmart savings catcher and how to used that.
Jana Brown
I’ve mostly given up on WalMart too. I’ll hit it on rare occasion for a couple of items that we can’t find at the other stores, but honestly my Smiths store has better over all prices, digital coupons, friendly people who will fix problems and stack nicely with Ibotta and Checkout51.
The manager at the WalMart in Riverton is particularly nasty about helping customers with price matching or questions. I had a few coupons which were valid, but there was a scanning problem (The cashier didn’t know which of the two barcodes to scan, it wasn’t that hard). She took them, stuffed them in the coupon drawer and told me I just couldn’t use them or have them back and to pay my bill. So So mad. So WalMart has lost me to the competitors.
Emily
I also have had problems with the Riverton Walmart too! I stopped shopping there a long time ago! so frustrating!!
Danielle
I just had to chime in because my Walmart is GREAT! They are fabulous about price-matching and have never given me any grief whatsoever. Sometimes they’ll even tell me about a lower price that I overlooked in one of the ads! I will say, though, that I have 3 Walmarts all about the same distance from me, and I used to shop at one of the other ones and did NOT have a good experience any time I shopped there. Couldn’t be happier with the one I shop at now!
Shannon
I haven’t bothered doing real grocery shopping or price matching at Walmart in over a year. I get better deals from shopping the ad with MUCH better shopping experience at Smith’s. Not surprised that this policy has changed.
Maria Ostler
Walmart has given me so much hassle that I won’t go there anymore. I wasted more time and effort waiting for a manager to verify and approve. I usually look at the ads and go to Harmon’s or target depending on the offer. I get my paper goods at Costco and use their coupons.
Bobbi
When i went to the store, although I didn’t have the ad in hand, she stated as long as she could find the deal on “Flipp – Flyer and Weekly Ads” app, that she’d match it. Since i downloaded that app, price matching is a BREEZE because you can save all of the items you find and it creates a list for you with an image of the add and price AND you can search by keyword and it’ll find it in all of the ads possible for you. Download this free app, you won’t regret it!
Jeanette
I have stopped shopping at Walmart nearly all together. Produce was OK, but not as fresh as my local Sprouts or Smiths. I stop by buying meat there years ago. The last time I did go it to the cashier literally 30 minutes to check me out because of my price matching. It was so frustrating for me, for her, for the night manager, and the people behind me!
I now just shop at my local grocery stores. Which is what I’ve always wanted to do anyways, to support local businesses, it was just too convenient to price match everything at Walmart. Now that convenience is no longer a player in the equation, Walmart is out! There is no love lost!
Amber
I’ve been price matching at Walmart for 5 years and it has DEFINITELY been WORTH it! It took some trial and error to find the best store and day to go but I’m glad I did it! My Walmart knows who I am and will even give me my preferred cashier and shut a lane down for me. I think the difference is I am VERY organized and HONEST and have proven that many times in the past when they ask me about a price. My biggest piece of advice is be organized, find a store that will work with you and stick to the cashiers that know their stuff! I shop only once every two weeks except for the occasional gallon of milk. I save about $200 with ad matches and coupons and have found that shopping at other stores doesn’t really save you money when you pay nearly double for the items not on sale. Good luck and I hope this helps!
Heather
I found out about the changes the wrong way today when I was shopping in store. I was so bummed. I had to put a bunch back because I did not have all of the ads. Fortunately, I had a few shoved in my coupon bag. This totally changes shopping at Walmart for me. I feel like the only advantage was the one stop aspect. Now, I will just hit the top stores for prices, and Walmart is generally not on the list. They will definitely lose a lot of business from my family. Why shop there when Smith’s often has better prices, friendly & fast service, and are happy to take coupons. I was able to get $88 in groceries today for $19, with the buy more save more and coupons. I think they just took away their best shopping advantage.
Megan
I believe target will still price match on everything (except food) as long as you have the ad with you. Not a problem for me because I love target unlike Walmart. As far as I know they will do online and ad matching. Also, if your looking for baby items babies r us will price match too. I haven’t gone there as much but I know they have done it for me before.
Leigh
I did not know Target doesn’t price match food. That would have been the main reason I would have gone there. Thanks!!
Lynzi
Make sure you are utilizing Savings Catcher! I have earned over $75.00 in the past six months with just that program and all I have to do is open up the Wal-Mart app on my phone and snap a picture of my receipt….
Chris
With price matching at walmart I find its luck of the draw with cashiers. The good ones will price match no problem wont call a manager they will just say you got tillamonk cheese for $3.99 at safeway cool type in the price and match it. Generally the are younger cashiers working a summer job. Then there are cashiers will hassle you call a manager and hold up the line. If I was walmart I would pull price match from stores and offer better prices.