Do you have shopping on your to do list this weekend? Before you spend any money, experts say don’t just settle for the retail price.
The Golden Rule is to always shop around to get the best bang for your buck.
“Our researchers often find big store to store price differences for the exact same items,” said Kevin Brasler, executive editor at Washington Consumers Checkbook.
If that happens when you’re shopping in-store or online — here’s what you can do:
“Ask for a price match, many stores will honor lower prices offered by their competitors, even for online shopping, many retailers have procedures you can use to obtain a discount if you find the item available for less elsewhere,” Brasler said.
Sometimes playing the long game will help you score a cheaper price on a big-ticket item.
“Keep an eye on that stores prices for a few weeks,” Brasler said. “Many stores will offer any new price they offer in the future.”
But Brasler said there are limits. The most common exclusion is that items must be identical including color and other technical specifications. Also, the retailer must have the item in stock or available to ship immediately.
According to Brasler, not every retailer plays the price-matching game or price adjustments. Most policies exclude pricing for membership warehouse clubs, such as, Costco. And Amazon and Walmart don’t do price matches or adjustments at all.
In some cases, consumers may decide to buy from a retailer that does not offer the lowest price.
“For example, you might want to stick with a local company or use one that offers great service and reliable delivery or a generous return policy,” Brasler said.
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