Over the holiday shopping season, Best Buy had announced that they would price match not only to local brick and mortar stores, but also to online retailers including Amazon, NewEgg, TigerDirect and Buy.com (now Rakuten.) However they have now announced that they will retain this price matching policy permanently in an attempt to stop the practice of “showrooming.”
“Showrooming” is when consumers visit a brick and mortar store to check out items, especially electronics, and then leave the brick and mortar store and make their purchase online instead, seeking less expensive prices on the same items.
To help consumers take advantage of this price matching policy, Best Buy registers (at least in the customer service area from my personal experience) are equipped to do online searches for the items you are purchasing, and to automatically adjust the price of your item to the lowest available online price from their list of competitors. Again in my personal experience, if you find an online vendor that is not currently on their list, then ask a manager to match that price and it will usually happen, especially if you explain to them that you want to continue to shop in their store and give them your money rather than shopping online.
Please note that the price matching does not happen automatically. You must ask for the price matching. As always, a prepared consumer is going to get the best possible price, and it is no different at Best Buy. If you stopped in for a small item and decide to make a larger purchase, remember that even if you can’t search for a lower price that they can and they will — if you ask them to. My experience also includes some lower level store managers not knowing this particular policy, and having to remind them or asking to speak to a higher level manager; the savings (if you know of a lower price in advance) is usually worth any effort you have to put into it at the store.
One change that does not benefit consumers however, is that the return & exchange time period has been reduced from 30 days to 15 days. If you are a Premiere Silver member of the Best Buy Rewards Zone, then your return & exchange time frame remains at 30 days.
Related posts:
No related posts.
