Price matching techniques and suggestions

[Placer14]

I'm a noob when it comes to price matching and I know some employees are idiots as well as certain stores have wierd policies. I was wondering what suggestions/experiences some of the hot dealers/members on this forum have. What is the best/most sucessful way to PM without hassle? What stores have irregular policy? Thoughts, ideas, suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Here are some suggestions from the thread i started in Hot Deals that I'm moving here...

From "stso"[b/]
First rule, don't tell them where you saw the deal from ...
Second rule, if you're using a coupon, don't tell them before pricematch ....

Thanks again.

 

[AbsolutZero]

Bump from a fellow newbie who'd also like to know what to and not to do.

From what I've read in Hot Deals, you should bring a printed copy of the competitors ad or web page. Also bring the competitors phone number so they can call and confirm price and stock.

 

[Placer14]

Also, something I've seen some people do is pay the total up front and then bring the item with the ad to the customer service desk for them to do the PM. I don't know how great the benefit of this is, but it does seem to be a popular practice.

 

[RossMAN]

The benefit of bringing the competitor's ad is they can see it for themself and they usually don't call the competitor to verify the product, price and if it's in stock. This a GOOD thing because calling the competitor takes time, maybe they're out of stock (if it's a really hot deal it will usually be out of stock). Whenever I ask Staples or OfficeMax or OfficeDepot or other stores to price match I always bring in the competitor's ad and have their phone number ready. The quicker the transaction, the better.

 

[Placer14]

Is there anyway to get company policy and finding out what is it in paper before approaching a Customer Sev. Rep. So you can shove it in their face when they say otherwise?

 

[RossMAN]

Different stores have different PM policies and those policies are different for their online (.com) and B&M stores.

It all depends on which stores you're talking about.

Most stores should have their PM policies clearly outlined on their website (I think Staples.com and OfficeMax.com do) or physically at the store. If you ask an employee to see their Price Policy they should be able to present it to you.