Best Buy Orders Stores To Price-Match To BestBuy.com

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Best Buy has sent out a notice to all its stores instructing them to STOP saying they don't price-match BestBuy.com. Here are some of the things in the memo the retailer expressly forbids:
  • Create/post their own customer-facing signage at POS registers or at the customer point of entry into the building that actively contradicts the stated policy.
  • Ask the customer to use the kiosk/ExpressLane as a way to avoid price match margin erosion.
  • Not honor a price match to BestBuy.com once a customer indicates awareness.
Click to expand...
 
Imagine that. Best Buy makes another consumer-friendly move! Albeit the old standard was horribly counter-intuitive, it is at least a step in the right direction.
 
It's sad when they have to send out memos telling stores they have to honor their own prices.
 
Heh this is funny, I attempted to use their online store's sale of the H50 ad to get the same $20 off at the register. So the guy who I asked in their PC department said "yes we do that of course, here it is have fun!," BUT the manager running the cash register said they don't do that. I left the item where I sat it down on the counter and left after he told me that.

I even had the ad printed out :(
 
I don't even understand why the prices aren't exactly the same to begin with - brick and mortar retail is a complete mystery to purveyors of tax free amazon.
 
yeah, I never understood that policy.


I've also walked away from a bestbuy store in the past because they wouldn't honor their online price (even though you could technically buy it right then and there, via the website from your phone, and walk over and pick it up at the customer service desk)
 
Corvette said:
I reserved my H50 online and then picked it up.
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The website said it was available at the store and said nothing about stores not complying with online sales. I was under the impression I didn't need to since the store had them in stock. Oh well looks like I'm getting a H60 or kuhler 620 now.
 
They tried to deny me a price match when my wife picked up her ipod touch. It was like $30 cheaper on their site than in store.

They wanted to deny the match so I just brought up well, give me a sec and I'll order it online through my iphone and mark for in-store pickup and then you'll still go walk your butt over to the cabinet and get my ipod.

They called a manager over and gave it to me for the internet price.

Such a hassle.

It's only a matter of time before bbuy goes belly up.
 
I've always been told by store employees that they price match their online prices... Interesting.
 
I work at a Best Buy in the North Texas area and we've always priced matched our own website... so this is news to me lol. We'll even price match Amazon a lot of times (although we won't necessarily price match the tax). Even if there is an "online only" deal, we'll order it for our customer in-store and either have it shipped to their house or have it at the store waiting for pick-up.

Though I guess, I do understand some stores not wanting to price match the website. A lot of BB managers I've worked for go strictly "by the book", which is a disaster for customer service. So hopefully ALL the stores will be getting better now!
 
I hear they are actually matching their online prices now, but are charging a $30 fee to do so, lol
 
kinda curious, does Best Buy in the US not have a price match against the competition and get 10% off the difference? i know Futureshop, Best Buy and staples all have the same price match policy. I always figured that best buy in the US has the same policy?

just an example, spindle of dvd is on sale for 20 at staples, regular price at best buy is 80 so price matching will get me the spindle for 14 bucks (80-20 = 60 so 10% is extra 6 dollars off).
 
It's about god damned time, I caught them doing this price fixing crap over 7 years ago but it never went anywhere. A price online that gets you into the store where they pull pricing info from a different system altogether and most folks never even care or notice it.

One positive for the consumer, I suppose.
 
in the phoenix metro area the policy is that htye will only match a competitior's price if the the nearest competitor store has it in stock. back in the day, one store would only match CompUSA if the CompUSA store across the parking lot had it in stock - and they would even call over there to see, despite the fact that the price match langauge says nothing about this.
 
The key word here is "awareness"; expressly forbids: Not honor a price match to BestBuy.com once a customer indicates awareness.

They will be aware but they wont tell you. Best Buy will never go belly up, they are too huge to fail. Their campus here in Bloomington, MN is HUGE! They employ so many people the fed will help them out.
 
BestBuy, only around so you have a place to go while your wife is clothes shopping.
 
BB can't be doing to bad, their building a new brick and mortar store half a block from Futureshop, a chain .which they bought a few years ago. This is what they call competition in Canada, one corporation putting up 10 different stores with different names. Its especially pervasive with woman's and mens clothing stores.
 
snowysnowcones said:
I work at a Best Buy in the North Texas area and we've always priced matched our own website... so this is news to me lol. We'll even price match Amazon a lot of times (although we won't necessarily price match the tax). Even if there is an "online only" deal, we'll order it for our customer in-store and either have it shipped to their house or have it at the store waiting for pick-up.

Though I guess, I do understand some stores not wanting to price match the website. A lot of BB managers I've worked for go strictly "by the book", which is a disaster for customer service. So hopefully ALL the stores will be getting better now!
Click to expand...

That's a nice policy for your customers. I don't know of any local stores here that do the same and since the official policy is that price matching has to be either with local competitor ads or from BestBuy.com, they don't have to.

I'm curious just how many customers you have at your store that actually know about your local store's policy?
 
The strange thing is that I've never had a problem getting things price matched at my Bestbuy here in Austin. I've done it tons of times, and the most I've ever had to do was to get someone to pull it up on one of their computers so that they could check the price. Last time was even easier to pricematch, and I was surprised (but happy).

They have put QR codes on the tags at the front of the shelves which shows the price. I pulled up the Bestbuy iPhone app (I assume there's a similar android one?) and it has a big "scan QR code" button, which I used, and it pulled up the website's price. I then walked over to customer service, showed them my phone, and the girl rung it up for me right there at the lower price. It was the easiest pricematch ever. I was very surprised that they made it so easy to scan and pull up the identical product at the lower price with their own app.
 
Orion Antares said:
That's a nice policy for your customers. I don't know of any local stores here that do the same and since the official policy is that price matching has to be either with local competitor ads or from BestBuy.com, they don't have to.

I'm curious just how many customers you have at your store that actually know about your local store's policy?
Click to expand...

It's not a whole lot of customers (as there are few customers that are "regulars" at BB.. about 85% only come in about once a year) but if they say they find the same TV on Amazon for cheaper, I'll always clear it with my manager to price match it. For example, a guy came in two days ago and there was an LG 32" TV on amazon for $10 less and free shipping. We would match the price of Amazon no problem, but we couldn't do anything about the tax that he didn't have to pay on Amazon. We do have to draw the line somewhere though. The guy wanted to us to throw in $35 worth of Wii games (which there is no profit margin on) to cover the tax, which we simply couldn't do.

But from my own experience it really comes down to each GM's own policy, and hopefully this new "corporate" policy will make things more uniform. I personally try to work with customers as much as I can, although what a lot of people fail to realize is that a lot of sales are contracts between the manufacture and the store, and we can't always fully price match those.
 
schmads said:
The strange thing is that I've never had a problem getting things price matched at my Bestbuy here in Austin. I've done it tons of times, and the most I've ever had to do was to get someone to pull it up on one of their computers so that they could check the price. Last time was even easier to pricematch, and I was surprised (but happy).

They have put QR codes on the tags at the front of the shelves which shows the price. I pulled up the Bestbuy iPhone app (I assume there's a similar android one?) and it has a big "scan QR code" button, which I used, and it pulled up the website's price. I then walked over to customer service, showed them my phone, and the girl rung it up for me right there at the lower price. It was the easiest pricematch ever. I was very surprised that they made it so easy to scan and pull up the identical product at the lower price with their own app.
Click to expand...

I know a lot of guys will do the same thing at my store. I've had several people show me different prices on their iPhones and we go based of that. It's easy. It's fast. It keeps revenue in the store and not at an Amazon or Newegg warehouse.
 
My local Best Buy has always price matched their website as well. Ive bought a couple things from them this way. Their in store price is always higher but I just pull up their website on my phone and when Im at the register I tell the cashier that its cheaper on their website and show them and they never ask any questions. Hell, I bought my WD Black hard drive, I told her it was $20 cheaper on their website and had my phone ready to show her but she just took the money off and never looked. Shoulda told her they were buy one get one free or something.
 
They price match but only on non-geek squad tweaked items. So far only the sodas and candy are non-geek squad tweaked. But I hear that executives have brought up the idea of Rocket Fish branded Soda and Candy. Yum!

Geek Squad Tweaked = BB Tax
 
Again, that's a regional issue. If they aren't letting you purchase "untweaked" items then report them to corporate.

I've only ever had someone try that with me once. That "tweak fee" did not last long.
 
BB is the motherfucking devil.

I've been consistently pissed by their refusal here in Richmond, Virginia to pricewatch their own internet pricing. Furthermore, they tell you to look it up at the in store kiosk, which is a fucking INTRAnet and has the same shitty in store pricing. When I point it out to the moRon in front of me and show them how to go to google then pull up the real bestbuy.com with the actual internet pricing, they act like they've just seen Jesus for the first time and still want to check his ID. And then the asshole manager still has the audacity to deny the price match... and you want to know why the black man is still angry....

I hate best buy. Every experience there has been horrible. I won't even buy a power supply to test with there anymore. I refuse to go in there to even look at TVs before purchasing them elsewhere.

Fuckka Best Buy. Assholes.
 
Steve said:
Best Buy has sent out a notice to all its stores instructing them to STOP saying they don't price-match BestBuy.com. Here are some of the things in the memo the retailer expressly forbids:
Click to expand...

I rarely have anything good to say about BBY, but I have to say I can't remember the last time they didn't honor their online price. It's definitely been years....that said, it'd be better if they automatically price matched their own web site.
 
difficultone said:
BB is the motherfucking devil.

I've been consistently pissed by their refusal here in Richmond, Virginia to pricewatch their own internet pricing. Furthermore, they tell you to look it up at the in store kiosk, which is a fucking INTRAnet and has the same shitty in store pricing. When I point it out to the moRon in front of me and show them how to go to google then pull up the real bestbuy.com with the actual internet pricing, they act like they've just seen Jesus for the first time and still want to check his ID. And then the asshole manager still has the audacity to deny the price match... and you want to know why the black man is still angry....

I hate best buy. Every experience there has been horrible. I won't even buy a power supply to test with there anymore. I refuse to go in there to even look at TVs before purchasing them elsewhere.

Fuckka Best Buy. Assholes.
Click to expand...

^^this

Bestbuy reminds me of Apple. Same ol thugs who uses con jobs on a daily basis to take more of your money.

I havent used a bestbuy in years and dont ever plan too.
 
I have had Bestbuy price match online prices but once they do that. They then tell me they have to charge for SHIPPING! Ya it's a crock.
 
Wizard220 said:
^^this

Bestbuy reminds me of Apple. Same ol thugs who uses con jobs on a daily basis to take more of your money.

I havent used a bestbuy in years and dont ever plan too.
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Explain to me how Apple has any relevance to the types of crap best buy pulls?

Everything from bait-and-switch online pricing to specific lighting setups to make the TVs look amazing in store, only to look like crap at home because it was just setup to sell good, not work well.

Apple is consistant down to the pricing of my iPhone at Best Buy. $200, same as every other place. There's no lower price online that I can't get in their retail stores...anywhere.
 
Kuraudo said:
I don't even understand why the prices aren't exactly the same to begin with - brick and mortar retail is a complete mystery to purveyors of tax free amazon.
Click to expand...

Different regions have different prices. regardless of tax, in larger cities prices might be higher than a store out in the middle of nowhere. Plus, you mark something onsale online only as you aren't paying for all the stuff that you do for a brick and mortar.

notarat said:
I hear they are actually matching their online prices now, but are charging a $30 fee to do so, lol
Click to expand...

that cheap?

Toiletmint said:
The key word here is "awareness"; expressly forbids: Not honor a price match to BestBuy.com once a customer indicates awareness.

They will be aware but they wont tell you. Best Buy will never go belly up, they are too huge to fail. Their campus here in Bloomington, MN is HUGE! They employ so many people the fed will help them out.
Click to expand...

I highly doubt that, they are only a single company. They are no different than blockbuster or circuit city. Banks were to big as they control all of our money. US car makers were bailed out due to being "to large" given all the jobs that would be gone if every US car maker closed up shop. If BestBuy went under that is just one store out of hundreds or thousands of other ones. They close down and somebody else takes their spot. BestBuy closing doesn't mean that TV, computers, games, movies, ... suddenly have no way to be sold anymore and all those people in those areas lose their jobs. if all car makers go under, then you don't need the people that make the parts and everything else involved with cars.

Absentee said:
Explain to me how Apple has any relevance to the types of crap best buy pulls?

Everything from bait-and-switch online pricing to specific lighting setups to make the TVs look amazing in store, only to look like crap at home because it was just setup to sell good, not work well.

Apple is consistant down to the pricing of my iPhone at Best Buy. $200, same as every other place. There's no lower price online that I can't get in their retail stores...anywhere.
Click to expand...

That isn't just them, all stores screw with TV displays like that. I've "fixed" a few tvs at walmart before that had the color on one set to something to make it look like crap compared to whatever they were trying to push. Then you have the places that use HDMI on one tv and an SD feed on another to try to show how this picture quality is much better than that one.
 
Huh. The last time I set foot in a best buy was summer of 2008 when my Apex DVD player finally died and I saw a decent deal on my current player on their website. Of course the price was higher in store (which surprised me at the time), but there was zero problem with them matching their own web price. I can't even remember them pitching a warranty or magazines or credit cards- ah the good old days.

They should have had the business sense to have baked the web price match into their business model from the beginning- especially in the age of Newegg, Amazon, etc.
 
Absentee said:
Explain to me how Apple has any relevance to the types of crap best buy pulls?

Everything from bait-and-switch online pricing to specific lighting setups to make the TVs look amazing in store, only to look like crap at home because it was just setup to sell good, not work well.

Apple is consistant down to the pricing of my iPhone at Best Buy. $200, same as every other place. There's no lower price online that I can't get in their retail stores...anywhere.
Click to expand...

All stores do that with TV's ;). Infact when they come out of the box they are set to "burn" mode with everything maxed because they assume the lighting in the stores are going to be the same. Its the manufacturers that want the TV's to stand out, Best Buy just wants to sell them so they make them easy to see. Besides if you buy a TV based off of the "picture" you are seeing in the store ... well you deserve what you get !:D

The reason TV sales vary from store to store is because the manufacturers don't put a fixed price on it. Sony/MS/Nintendo do this with their console it prevents uber stores from running the smaller chains out and helps them sell more consoles if everyone is selling at the same price. You probably don't see this as TV's don't sell as much as iPhones so they don't really care. Its also the reason why you don't see sales that are $50 OFF! instead you get a $50 gift card.
 
About 4 months ago I saw a hard drive on their site for a certain decent price, and when I went into the store it was $20 more. All I had to do was get the manager of the department and show him the price difference. He looked at the site real quick (I had the web page open already) and he nodded his head and told me it's all good, that I can buy it for the website price. No problems at all. I know Best Buy is known for being pretty shady, but I suppose I got lucky enough to find a competent manager who wasn't a douche.
 
The last time that I had to go there to get something big (the wife didn't want to wait for shipping), the old sales guy that was there said that they were told that if they give the website prices they would be written up. So I had to go back home & order it online and then go back to the store to pick it up the next time I went by.
 
I also have had a few bad consumer issues with BB. Called a local store once about stock on a Gateway 24" lcd....was told they had two in stock. So I procede to drive over there with $700 cash to pick one up. Well of course once there, they can't find the stock items that they show to be there. I offer to buy the display model at full price since I wanted one THAT DAY....the floor geek can't approve that, so a manager comes over, tells me also, that they can't sell the display model, but that they could order me one. I argue a minute or two about it...then just get irritated.

"Are you serious?" I finally said...."I have $700 cash in hand to buy an item you show in stock but can't find, and you won't sell me the display model at full price???"

Needless to say I walked out the door and spent my cash at Circuit City and had it at my door in two days from a store just 3 hours away.

fuck BB.
 
Zepher said:
Now if Walmart would match their website...
Click to expand...

surprised more retailers don't go the way walmart did (at least here in canada).

The website has no prices at all listed, until you tell it what store your going to buy from.

That way they can ensure the price you see online, will be the price you see in store.
 
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