Smart shoppers always know where to find the lowest price, but there's no need to bounce from store to store if you do your homework beforehand.
Rhonda Talley never shops without sales flyers in hand.
"These are on sale for $1.99 at Walgreen's," said Rhonda.
They're $2.97 here. She finds which store has the best price and uses the flyer to price match at Walmart.
"Iced tea is on sale for $4.99 at Martin's," Rhonda said.
She'll get the discount by showing the cashier the sale ad.
"They honor price matching, but no buy one get, one free. These are 89 cents from Target…let me show you," Rhonda said.
Rhonda ended up saving 20 percent.
"It is work, but is saves a lot of money," Rhonda said.
You will lower your bill by price-matching everyday items like groceries, but the big payoff comes matching big ticket items.
"Prices fluctuate week over week very quickly," said David Schloman.
David bought a TV from Best Buy, but weeks later, it went on sale. He returned to the store with the sale ad and was refunded the difference.
"I probably paid just a little bit over $1,000 for the $1,500 TV," he said.
He bought a new washer and dryer through Sears online. A week later, they went on sale in the store.
"The price on the website showed $500, when you put it in a cart, it takes it to $450. They only match what's on the web, not what's in the cart, so it's a little bit challenging there," David said.
It took months of communication, but he eventually got his rebate.
When it came time to buy a new refrigerator…
"$2,800 is a hard pill to swallow," David said.
He opted for a local retailer who matched the national store's price and accepted the competitor's 10 percent off coupon.
"The local stores, they want to impress you because they want your future business," David said.
Price matching timeframes vary from store to store. Most brick and mortar stores won't match online prices, plus the product has to be in stock. One exclusion to be aware of: Most stores won't match Black Friday sales.
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