Best Buy's price match policy changing @ 1 store - not proven anywhere else.

I went into a Best Buy location in Milwaukee, WI today and tried to have them price match Oblivion GOTY edition for Xbox 360. They first told me that it should be no problem price matching, until they saw the printout from Gamestop. After discussing this with an assistant manager, I found out the following:

• Best Buy keeps a listing of stores they consider competition. If the store you are price matching against is not on this list, they will refuse the price match. It doesn't matter if the store is a major nationwide retailer, but if it is on their list.
• I briefly looked at the list before they took it away. It only lists big box retailers such as Walmart, Target, Sams Club, etc. Store like Gamecrazy, Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, Gamestop are not listed, but are on a seperate list below and listed as non-competitors.
• This list also applies to applicances.
• Circuit City wasn't on either list.
• The list was a corporate memo but the employee told me that participation is voluntary. Some stores may not start agreeing to this list until after the holiday season ends.
• I figured maybe this was based on the fact that I carried in a printout. The printout was of the game page, listing price of a new copy, and which stores had it in stock from their website. The closest store was across the street. They said it didn't matter because either way they were not "competition".

I ended up going across the street and buying the game anyway. I'm interested in hearing if anyone else out there has heard about this. If you get anything out of this, I'd say don't expect Best Buy to price match, as they are adding more exclusions to the fine print. I think their price matching policy may be there for show, just to say they have one, but not with the intention that people actually use it. In my case it wasn't a huge deal, but making one less trip when holiday shopping would have been nice.

I somehow knew this wasn't going to be good for the consumer.

does anyone know if there is an update on this? and are we able to go back to the store and price-match after a purchase? Thanks.

thats stupid wtf is the point?

I actually live in Milwaukee and have experienced the same sort of price matching fiascos at a couple best buys in the area. I don't know what it is, but the people there really stink. It is like they are trying to go out of their way to not help you.

I refuse to buy anything there unless I can somehow screw them over. For example, AFTER all the junk I've been through, NOW if I'm going to price match something, I will buy it first, then take it to the counter and make them give me the 10% difference, just to stick it to them a little more.

[quote name='Xfactor19990']thats stupid wtf is the point?[/QUOTE]


Let's say the only store near you is Best Buy. You get an ad from Circuit City that says "Mirror's Edge - $30". Best Buy knows that they are the only store near anyone. Why should they honor CC's price? They will say "fine, go buy it at CC." Now, if there is a CC in the vicinity they may honor it.

I love how Circuit City wasn't on either list. Best Buy is treating them as if they are nonexistent, of course that's just about the truth...

How is Sam's Club on that list and CC isn't? I would think they wouldn't want to PM Sam's Club because you have to pay to shop there and they are almost always cheaper than Best Buy (sales excluded)

My Best Buy will pricematch anything. I had them look up the price of a game at gamestop online once at customer service and they matched it.

[quote name='Porksta']Let's say the only store near you is Best Buy. You get an ad from Circuit City that says "Mirror's Edge - $30". Best Buy knows that they are the only store near anyone. Why should they honor CC's price? They will say "fine, go buy it at CC." Now, if there is a CC in the vicinity they may honor it.[/QUOTE]

I think this answers why CC isn't on that list.

My BB will pricematch CC, WM, Target, TRU, and pretty much any store that carries electronics. But they won't PM places like Fye and Frys because they're not close enough. Trying to PM GameStop is hit or miss though...

I think this is a store-specific policy and not a company-wide decision. In most major metropolitan areas, any BB store will have a WalMart, a Target, a Circuit City (until they disappear), a Costco, a Sam's Club, a Sears, a Kmart, and a Gamestop within 25 miles of the store. I can see why they wouldn't do anything with Sam's Club and Costco, as those are membership clubs, so they don't count. Gamestop is a competitor of theirs on the videogame front, though it's seldom that GS' prices are cheaper than BB, so I can see why they wouldn't consider them a competitor.

However, for WM, Target, CC, Kmart and Sears, those should all be "viable" stores to PM against. Most of my PM's recently have been from Target, and I think 100% of my DVD/BR PM's have been against Target. Videogame prices, almost all of those have been Target.

Plus, using in-store inventory from the website works only to a point, as BB is the only one of those with any sense of semi-realtime inventory. CC's website doesn't work for in-store checking for movies and games, Target's website runs a day in the past most of the time, Walmart doesn't have any in-store checking, and GS' website also can be running a day in the past.

I think this is a single store's experiment and nothing more.

the BB around here wont PM to CC anymore.

[quote name='62t']the BB around here wont PM to CC anymore.[/quote]Is your CC still open? CC is a competitor of BB's and unless the store within 25 miles of your BB is closed, they should PM them without question. If not, then I'd ask them why that's the case.

I remember seeing a BB corporate memo posted somewhere on the web regarding CC price matching and it stated that in some regions BB would no longer price match CC sales/offers. I believe this is a regional situation and not nationwide and that it is geared to prevent the possibility of price matching CC store closing prices / liquidation sales.

I know my BB's here in Colorado still price match CC, I did it last week.

[quote name='BillyBob29']I remember seeing a BB corporate memo posted somewhere on the web regarding CC price matching and it stated that in some regions BB would no longer price match CC sales/offers. I believe this is a regional situation and not nationwide and that it is geared to prevent the possibility of price matching CC store closing prices / liquidation sales.

I know my BB's here in Colorado still price match CC, I did it last week.[/quote]That makes much more sense than BB not PMing CC anymore on a country-wide basis. Regionally, yes, that's understandable.

Any market that has no more CC's in it, yes, I can see that being an issue and not PMing any pricing from there. In my area, where we had one CC close down, they're still PMing without any issue.

[quote name='shrike4242']Is your CC still open? CC is a competitor of BB's and unless the store within 25 miles of your BB is closed, they should PM them without question. If not, then I'd ask them why that's the case.[/QUOTE]

they claimed that CC is no longer a competitor, and yes there is a store within 25 miles

Yeah YMMV on this, also gamecrazy ads are useless as they don't state wheter the games are new are used on the ad. This can make the employee nuts and assume that they are used games. I tried to PM something at Fry's last time it was a no go..

You expect BB to PM a printout?
Their policy states that they will price match the store's current ad, not printout.

I have PMed at BB plenty of times...from CC, Frys, as well as GS...so I am defending BB in this case...and only case.

[quote name='unforeseen']You expect BB to PM a printout?
Their policy states that they will price match the store's current ad, not printout.

I have PMed at BB plenty of times...from CC, Frys, as well as GS...so I am defending BB in this case...and only case.[/QUOTE]

I've had no problems price matching a web print out for a store as long as that store has a local B&M presence.