Whether you're a frequent online shopper or not, it pays to know the ins and outs of retailer policies. Price-matching policies can be a great benefit when you're trying to snag an item for its best price yet, and they're important during major shopping events like Black Friday.
Knowing price-matching policies for top retailers helps you make the most informed purchase decisions, and sometimes shows you how to save more if you miss the best price.
Most major retailers, like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and more, have some type of price-match policy, and understanding the nuances and rules of each policy makes for the most successful shopper. Here's everything you need to know about Walmart's price match policy so you can shop smarter, both in-store and online.
Walmart has different price-matching policies for in-store and online purchases. Here's what to know about each.
In-store: For items purchased in a Walmart US store, Walmart will match the price of the identical item advertised on Walmart.com, with a few limitations, which I'll detail below. However, the Walmart store manager on duty has the final decision on any price match.
Online at Walmart.com: Walmart's online price-match policy is pretty scant. In fact, Walmart's website states that the retailer does "not offer any price matching for items offered on our website, prices offered by competitors, prices for items previously purchased on Walmart.com that have since decreased in price, prices available through Marketplace or offered by third-party sellers, and items offered in Walmart stores or Neighborhood Markets."
What limitations surround the in-store price-matching policy?
Generally, for items purchased in a Walmart US store, the retailer will match the price of the identical item advertised on Walmart.com, with these exceptions:
At the time of checkout, the customer must inform the Walmart associate of the price to initiate a price match.
The identical item (size, model, quantity, brand, or color, etc.) must be in stock and available to purchase on Walmart.com at the time the price match is requested.
If the price match transaction requires a Walmart supervisor's approval, it could lead to a longer transaction time to validate the eligibility of the requested price match before the price is matched. Walmart reserves the right to limit quantities to one per customer, per item, per day.
Quantities are limited in New Mexico only to purchases for resale.
Where are price matches for items sold on Walmart.com unavailable?
Price match of items sold on Walmart.com is not available in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico.
When are price matches unavailable?
Walmart does not price-match:
Competitors' online or in-store prices
Walmart.com prices during special events (including but not limited to clearance, Rollback, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday deals, or other limited-time promotions)
Prices from Walmart Marketplace Retailers or third-party sellers
Bundle offers, instant rebates, mail-in offers, offers that include financing, advertisements that require a purchase to receive a gift card, percentage off, or buy one get one free advertisements without a specified price
Prices from other Walmart or Neighborhood Market stores
In terms of actual price-matching, Walmart does not price-match Amazon. However, Walmart frequently runs competing sales and savings events that overlap with Amazon's sales, so most of the time, if there's a great deal at Amazon, Walmart is already selling the product at the same price (or even lower).
Does Walmart price match Prime Day deals?
Walmart does not price-match membership-exclusive events, such as Prime Day. Keep in mind that Walmart frequently mimics Amazon's sales windows and pricing, so you usually don't need to worry. If there's a great Prime Day deal, more often than not, the same or similar offer is available at Walmart.
Does Walmart price match Costco, BJ's, or Sam's Club?
