Budgeting 101: Price Matching

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Find it: HERE.

Price Matching
Budgeting 101: Class 5

Price Matching:

I don’t like running to multiple stores.

So I price match.

I price match at Walmart.

Because they encourage it and make it
easy and stress free.
And you can add your coupons ON TOP 
of the sale price you are "price matching."

Price Matching Can Sound Nerve Racking.
But…It’s actually rather simple.

I first was rather nervous, but after a trip I realized it is easy to do.

So here are the Basic Steps:

 

1. First Find the Deals: 
Look in the Weekly Ads (both newspaper and via internet) as well as  great sites such as:
GrocerySmarts.Com  Pinching Your Pennies  My Grocery Deals  Savvy Shopper Deals
(These sites, show all the stores in your area and the sale prices with a ranking of how good the sale is. Easy to compile and compare)

*NOTE: You wont save money if you decide to buy things, just because it’s on sale.

Look for the deals on items you need and list them. 

2. To Price Match You Need to Know:

-Item's brand (You can match store brand from one store to Walmart's Store brand, Great Value)
-Size/Amount (pounds, ounces, etc)
-Variety
-Price
-The Store the item is on sale at.

*The Stores Policy: You can find this on their Store Website or ask at the customer service desk.
Walmart let's you price match if the items above match the item they sell. They do not match Buy One Get One ____, deals.  This is because the original price of the "buy one" is different at the varying Stores. 

Example: Brand: Kellogg's Cereal, Size: 15-17oz, Varieties: Corn Flakes, Pops & Fruit Loops, Price: $1.99, Store on Sale: Smith's Grocery

3. SHOPPING LIST: 

List, includes all the information mentioned above. I use a few simple abbreviations to make my list easier.

Mine looks like this:
    Pops: K. Cereal/ 15-17 ($1.99 @S)

4. Shop

A little organization when shopping, makes the trip stress free and run smoothly. When I go to the store I keep all the items to price match in the front of my cart, separate from regular priced items.  Be sure to check each item is the right match (brand, size, variety, etc) as you put it in the cart.

5. At Check Out: 
When checking out, I put all of the price match items on first.  Keeping the same items together, it makes it faster and much less confusing. I immediately tell the cashier that I have a some items to price match. (Often they ask me before they begin.) And then I read from my list of sale prices.  

For example: Roma Tomatoes are $0.69 per pound….Libby’s Green Beans $0.50 a can, I have ten cans…”
Then I after they have rung up ALL of my items I had them any coupons I have. 
(Both on price matched items and regular items)

*It is always a great practice to watch as they ring up, making sure they don't make any mistakes. But I rarely find mistakes.

NOTE: If you are price matching an item in multiple varieties, it helps the cashier if you group the same variety types together.  For Example: matching Pillsbury Cake Mix, put them in groups of Vanilla, Chocolate, Funfetti, etc.  Then tell the cashier how many of each variety you have. This makes the process faster, the cashier happier, and you less confusion.

Other Tips: 
I prefer the Young Male cashiers.  That probably sounds funny, but it is actually because they are the fastest.  Obviously this isn’t 100%, but I find it is most of the time.

Walmart no longer requires you to bring the adds, but I always have them in my purse just in case there is any confusion.  I have only used them once in 6 years, but I figure I prefer to be prepared. It also can come in handy when shopping if I need to double check what the variety or sale is.