Price Matching Rules
- Walmart is the only grocery store (currently) that will Price Match.
- You must have your ads with you.
- Walmart will price match grocery ads & Sunday newspaper ads (Best Buy, Walgreens, CVS, Office Max, etc).
- Item must be identical to the sale item in the ad (meaning same brand, size, type, etc).
- Walmart WILL price match Store Brands. For example - Walmart will match Kroger/Smiths bread on sale for Walmarts "Great Value" Bread.
- Walmart will only price match printed (not online) ads.
- Walmart will take manufacturers coupons, but not other stores coupons.
- If a printed ad says (limit 2), then you will only be able to price match 2 of that item. Of course you can always buy 2 more the next day...
- Walmart will not price match "Buy one get one Free" or any other type of BOGO sales.
- Walmart will not price match items that come with an instant rebate/savings, or other such item.
- Walmart will not price match meats and chicken if it comes from the Smiths/Albertsons butcher shop. Well, sometimes (very rarely) they will, but I wouldn't count on it!
- Each Walmart manager sets the limits on which stores they will price match from. Walmarts will NOT price match ads from stores that are MILES away. So don't expect to bring an ad from Utah (to Nevada) and get those prices :)
Holly is the queen of price matching. Here she shares her tips on price matching.
- Go when the lines are not busy and without children if possible.
- Shop on the same day and try to go to the same cashier.
- Price match at the end of the order & let the cashier know you will be price matching. Separate them with a bar or a space on the grocery belt.
- Tell the person behind you that you will be price matching. This way they won't get irritated if you take a little longer than normal. (hopefully)
- Many Walmarts are MUCH friendlier at price matching than other Walmarts. Know your stores. The neighborhood Walmart at Stephanie/American Pacific & Warm Springs/Eastern are great to price match at. The Super Walmart is much stricter (and not as friendly).
- Bring your ads & have them ready!! Holly circles the items that she is price matching, so she is able to show the checker quickly if needed.
- Be Organized! On my grocery list I circle the items that I am price matching in green. That way, when the checker asks me what the price of milk is, I can quickly check my list for the correct price. I'm sure Holly doesn't need to do this, she has all prices memorize :)
- Be courteous! Don't demand that an item be price matched. If they say no, you can either buy it at regular price or try again at a different Walmart or another day with a different cashier.
- Know what dates the ads start and end.
Nevada's Grocery Ads run:
- Albertsons, Food 4 Less, Fresh & Easy, Kmart, Smiths & Vons: Wednesday - Tuesday
- Kings Ranch: Tuesday - Monday
- Sunflower Market: Wednesday - Wednesday
Price Matching Prices
Each week I feature our "Grocery Deals of the Week". These are a basic price guideline to follow on things like chicken, ground beef, fruits and vegetables. It is not a complete list of all the good deals that week, although I wish I was grocery savvy enough to do that for you. SO, here are some guidelines for YOU to follow in order to get the best deals with price matching.
- Know your prices. Sometimes the "Everyday Low Price" at Walmart is cheaper than the sale price at other stores.
- Know your price point. Holly will not pay more than .50 for fruit, .08 oz for cereal and $1.50 for boneless skinless chicken breasts & ground beef. My price point is higher than that, so set your price point and watch for your items to hit that price.
- Stock up when the items you regularly use hits it's lowest price. I usually buy 20 lbs of chicken/ground beef when it goes on sale. For dry/canned goods, I will buy as much I think we'll use before it hits the expiration date.
- Sales usually run in a 12 Week Cycle. So about every 12 weeks chicken/meat/etc. will be on sale again. If you can't afford to buy a ton of a sale item, try to buy enough to last you for 12 weeks.
- Seasonal Items. There are certain times of the year that items will hit their lowest price. Thanksgiving - turkey & baking items, August - back to school items, etc. For a more detailed list click here.
- Don't buy something just because it's on sale. At one of the Smiths sales I bought 45 cans of Campbell's Chunky Soup because it was on sale for .66 cents a can. We don't even eat Campbell's soup, so I ended up donating it to the food bank.
The Smith's (grocery store) has a case lot sale twice a year. This usually happens right around General Conference (April and October). The case lot sale has deep discounts on different grocery items when you buy them by the case. When the case lot sale comes out, we will be posting what the great deals are. Sometimes a few of the items on sale are a not a good deal.
CASE LOT SALE GUIDELINES
- Buy what your family will eat.
- Just because an item is featured in the case lot sale, does not mean it is a great price.
- Set extra money aside each month for the case lot sale.
- Be aware of your limits. (example: Limit 2 cases)
- Do not plan on rain checks. Go early and take friends.
Thanks for all the great info. I really need to get organized so I can price match, I've been spending so much more trying to use grocerysmarts at Smiths and Albertsons just because a few good prices. I especially like the tip to go without kids! Maybe some day.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if Walmart would price match the per-item price on the Smith's case lot sale? (Ex: if I don't want to buy a case of cream of mushroom soup, would they honor the price it makes it, say 50cents per soup???)
ReplyDeleteSome Walmart's might for just one or two cans of items, but as a courtesy, I wouldn't buy more than that.
ReplyDeleteLisa and Holly... you are good!
ReplyDeleteGreat information. I am scared to price match to have everyone mad at me. But, this has boosted my confidence. I MIGHT give it a try on a good day. :)
Does anyone feel that price matching that is done by Walmart equates to advertising theft. Someone else pays to produce their ads and by saying bring it in we'll match it they don't have to do all the leg work to get things ready or buy extra because if they don't have it, they just don't match it. I saw them argue with one customer that they couldn't possibly go that low....hmmm. They get to pick and choose????
ReplyDeleteSorry you feel that way Jeanne, I have never had an employee argue with me over a price, as long as it is exactly the same as the printed ad. I've had a couple ask to see the ad because the price was so low, but once they saw the price they matched it - no problem :)
ReplyDeleteThey don't get to pick and choose, however if the store item is not the same as the ad item, they won't match it.