Best Buy Price Match?

[DonCorleone]

I found a 32"LCD about $200 cheaper on amazon over Best Buy. I called the web's 800# to see if they'd match it and they said only if it was a local competitor. I said, "ok, so you understand you're losing a sale, right?" and she said yes.

Think if I bring the price to the local store, the manager, might give it to me? Seems odd b/c they're definitely losing a sale.

[hakaveli]

I found a 32"LCD about $200 cheaper on amazon over Best Buy. I called the web's 800# to see if they'd match it and they said only if it was a local competitor. I said, "ok, so you understand you're losing a sale, right?" and she said yes.

Think if I bring the price to the local store, the manager, might give it to me? Seems odd b/c they're definitely losing a sale.

if thats gonna work let me know so i can get the westinghouse LVM-37W3 for 1100 (newegg price);)

[machavez00]

BB will price match in store items and it must be regular price, not sale price. Check the small print in the Sunday ad

[DonCorleone]

BB will price match in store items and it must be regular price, not sale price. Check the small print in the Sunday ad

Yeah, but I wonder if the smaller "unwritten" print is that it has to be a local place.

[machavez00]

I belive so. I bought my Sammy at my local BB. It was the floor model and was dicounted $200. I saw an ad for the local Fry's that was $500 less the sticker, (-$300 from what I paid). The manager was on the phone for what seemed like 30 minutes before I got the refund. He told me he had to make sure it was a local store, new(not a refurb), and in stock.

[Stewart Vernon]

Yep, has to be a local competitor. Think about it this way... Best Buy the local store is only directly competing with other local stores. They really are not competing with online stores because if you are going to order online then you aren't coming into their store to potentially buy other things.

The whole idea behind price-matching is to bring you into their store so maybe you will buy other things if they match a competitor's price... so it really costs them more to try and match an online price when you probably aren't going to get anything but that online item anyway.

[JM Anthony]

BB owns a high end West Coast based A/V store (Magnolia Audio/Video) and those guys are happy to match Amazon's price, as long as it's coming from them on not one of their affiliates (e.g. Tiger). Could be because both Magnolia and Amazon are Seattle based!!

John

[Steve Mehs]

Best Buy price matching rocks. Last Sunday my mother purchased a Sony 55" HDTV (KDF-55E2000), retail $1900. A local appliance chain had it for $1850 they matched it. Since Best Buy does not carry the TV in store, they ordered it, it came in yesterday. In the paper, my mom saw an ad for a local retailer had the same TV for $250 less, they didn't price match they gave her a nice discount. $1150. The customer service guy called the other store to made sure they had the TV in stock, they did and he adjusted the price on a $1900 TV to $1150. Screw up? Probably, but I’m jealous as hell. I paid over $2000 for my 42” a year ago.

[JM Anthony]

Did mom or you point out the likely error??? :lol:

[Steve Mehs]

Yeah of course :sure: :lol:
The only thing that could have happened was the guy looked at the wrong TV in the other stores ad. There was a TV in the ad for $1199 (considerably smaller and not even a Sony) underneath the 55” Sony, maybe he thought that was the TV and did meet and beat by $50, making it $1149. Who knows, who cares. Altogether, between the TV, a pretty nice stand ($320), the three year extended warranty and the tax the final price came to I think $1936 and change.

[RCinFLA]

Since before Christmas there has been brutal competition on HD TV. Samsung statement on their forth quarter profit being down because of the severe erosion in HD TV prices.

Most all the retailer have adopted a 'match price' policy. However, if you notice the ads in Sunday paper they are not very good pricing.

I think the manf are telling the retailer its okay to match price but they don't want them to advertise deep price cuts. Circuit City is showing "price before discount" to get around the manf. agreement.

The 'off-brands' are putting price pressure on the Samsungs and Sharps.
I just bought a 32" Vizio for list price $699. It's not a Samsung but not too bad. Certainly (in my opinion, I own both) the Samsung 3251 is not worth nearly twice the Vizio price.

[boever]

I got Best Buy to match prices from Amazon back in mid-November when I bought my tv (Mitsubishi 65" dlp). Amazon was running free shipping at the time. I just printed out the info from Amazon, and the salesperson said "no problem"

[n3ntj]

I belive so. I bought my Sammy at my local BB. It was the floor model and was dicounted $200. I saw an ad for the local Fry's that was $500 less the sticker, (-$300 from what I paid). The manager was on the phone for what seemed like 30 minutes before I got the refund. He told me he had to make sure it was a local store, new(not a refurb), and in stock.

Personally, I would have been weary of buying a floor model..that thing was probably on 18 hours a day for who knows how long (maybe 6 months!) sitting in the store. Why would they sell a floor model anyway, unless the model was being discontinued?

[oldpianos]

I don't think my BB does price matches. I found my 65" Mitu DLP for $500 less at HH Gregg. I went to BB to see what they had, and asked about the price match. The manager said he would not price match. And it IS a local store - you can see the HH Gregg from the front of the BB. I argued with the manager, and he flat out told me that he would not price match because he was not going to lose money on a sale. (Which I'm sure is BS, because HH Gregg isn't going to lose money, either) I went back to HH Gregg and bought the TV. I told the salesmen about BB and they just laughed and said it happens all the time.

[4DThinker]

My Best Buy won't price match any internet price. They WILL match any other store in my town or within 60 miles, so long as the product is in stock. They make no distinction between other store's Advertised (sale) prices and regular prices. If the product I want is available anywhere else locally for a lower price they will match or slightly beat that price.

NOW my town needs a Circuit City, to bring more competition to the area.

[JM Anthony]

If you can get that good a price break via a reputable on-line shop, it may be worth it to get the set from them. Only do this is you know you're not going to take it back. But if you've done all of your research and you're not a weak kneed shopper, why not???

John

[machavez00]

Personally, I would have been weary of buying a floor model..that thing was probably on 18 hours a day for who knows how long (maybe 6 months!) sitting in the store. Why would they sell a floor model anyway, unless the model was being discontinued?

It had not been on the floor that long, maybe two weeks. I had been going into that BB on a regular basis looking the HD RPTV's and had not seen it there before, beside my wife was PO'ed to begin with. I wanted to order a referb Toshiba online and said she would rather have the floor model. Their shipment of tv's would not be in for a week and she was tired of me talking about that "damn TV". It came with the full factory warranty, and PSP. When I called Samsung to ask a question about HDMI, they had me in the datatbase already. I had not registered yet, I guess when I bought it was registered automatically, that or BB did it.

Anyway the picture is fanatstic and even my wife is happy now.