Mopower

I went to Wal-Mart to buy a Zune. On Walmart.com they are 199.54. At the store however the tag under the display model says 249.96. And the tag under the boxes said $229.96. So I get the high school dropout behind the counter to get a manager to find out what the real price is. And they said 229. I showed the the print off of the web page and they said they don't match the website because they have different warehouses. So what? Both stores say Wal-Mart don't they? I have never seen a business that won't honor prices there website says. So I told the guy I'd gladly drive 50 miles to Staples were they are $189. And he just said, "Do what you got to do." I thought stores wanted peoples business?

Xbox69

So why not just order it online? It would still be cheaper than in-store even though both purchases would add sales tax and $6 shipping online.

EDIT: Have you considered ordering it from Staples.com?

JP5683

You can order it online and get it sent to any store you want for free.

I just did this for a friend, he wanted a specific coffee pot, and he went to 4 stores, all had a display model, but none for sale.

You can pay with Wal Mart gift cards, credit/debit cards, or Bill Me Later.

They will email you when it arrives at the store, you print the email, take it in, show ID, and pick it up.

disneyguy

Not unusual, best buy and circuit city do not match their web site either..
As stated above just order online for in store pickup..
DG

fitlissa76

Yeah, they are not in competition with themselves so they will not honor website prices. If it were a competitor's ad you were bringing in then they would match it, but even if another Walmart store just a mile away were offering your item at a lower price they would still not honor the lower price. It's all about what market prices are in your area. If $229 is still the lowest price within so many miles then they are considered competitive & will not compete against their own stores.

Xbox69

I don't think store pick-up is available for all items.

Funk

That totally depends on which employee you're dealing with and what mood they're in that that. It's completely YMMV at those 2 stores.

stingermck

Yeah that was common when I worked there. it was explained to us that the website, was completely separate from the stores.

atari2600

i think stores need to drop this whole price matching business. seems like its more trouble than its worth and they will use any little minor detail to refuse a price match. either do it or dont. dont advertise price matching to get people into your store, then turn them down for it.

Mopower

I didn't order one online because I want it now. Not 7 days from now.

I'm going to Staples after work even though it's more than an hour round trip. I called them and they said whatever price is on Staples.com is the price they will give me. Right now it's 189.99 after $50 instant rebate. Sounds good to me.

JJay

Just as they won't PM membership clubs like Sam's and Costco. I would have actually been shocked if Wal Mart DID price match, honestly.

Tracer Bullet

So, you're going to drive 50 miles to buy a Zune? Iowa

Ronnie Dobbs

i got a Zune for Christmas but I sold it on eBay. Are they any good?

Mopower

Damn New Yorkers and their fancy mins walk to anywhere.

fumanstan

I like mine

Tracer Bullet

Pretty much, yeah.

How much gas did you burn up on that round trip?

Mopower

It was 103.6 miles so 3.8 gallons x $2.83 = $10.75 in gas.

Par for the course living in the midwest. The nearest town with more than 2000 people is 20 miles away.

mndtrp

Yeah, I ran into the same problem myself. I didn't realize it was common.

zombeaner

I've price matched from circuitcity.com in the store on several occasions.

From cc.com

"Q: Does Circuit City match the prices of Internet retailers?
A: Because many Internet retailers are not authorized sellers, we will only match the prices of our own website (circuitcity.com)."

JohnDoeUSA

Same here, I have never had a problem with CC matching their online price. Also, I have had CC match their online price and still used instore/online coupons like $50 free gift card with purchase over $500. I used that at Christmas to purchase my wife a Rebel Digital Camera. Also, I have had CC match the price on a Panny Plasma that dropped online at CC.com after I bought it in store.

JP5683

I went with my friend on Tuesday night to pick up the coffeemaker I ordered for him, and the whole ordeal was a big pain in the butt.

I had the printout, we went to customer service... "Oh no, you have to go to the back of the store, where it used to be layaway, just go up to the desk and ask."

Ok, so we trek all the way to the back.

There's these big "Site to Store pick-ups here" signs all over the place...

What there isn't is any employees around, and what is around is 3 huge pallets stacked with all sorts of junk.

So we found a girl nearby where the aquariums were. She said she didn't know anything about that department, but she thought it closed at 9 PM (It was about 9:30, the store closes at 10, and the printout states "Items may be picked up 8 am- 10 pm seven days a week")

She tries to log into a computer at the desk in the back, she doesn't know how.

We trek back to customer service, the line is ten miles long.

There is a manager making an announcement over the loudspeaker about the store closing soon (after everything, it's about 9:50)... after she makes the announcement, my friend tells her what has happened, and we follow her back to the pickup area.

She disappears through a door, taking the printout with her. About five minutes later, a guy rushes out holding the printout and apologizing saying he was on a lunch break.

He finally finds the package, and it has my name on it, since I ordered it.

But I authorized my friend to pick it up too, so we ask whose ID does he need to see.

He checks both, but asks me to sign for it.

He says we are ok, to just go through the store, we won't even be checked at the door.

It's about 2 minutes to 10, so we just jam out.

We get to the parking lot, and my friend opens the box.

It's the right coffeemaker, but "Filters not included" We turn back to the store, it's closed except for the customers inside.

GRRRRRR

atari2600

lunch break at 10? thats kind of late for lunch aint it?

gjamesm

I won't be shopping at Walmart.com again. I ordered a whole bunch of baby clothes for my cousin. Between the time I ordered and the time they shipped (to my PO Box) most of the items decreased in price. They refused to give me the lower price even though my order hadn't shipped yet. They also said they it was too late to cancel my order. I would have reordered the items and returned the others but I had to pay shipping.

shyguy1083

possible they were doing inventory? or working truck? that's the only reason i could think of for a late "lunch" is an overnight shift.

as for wal-mart's site-to-store, i had a similar problem as JP. ordered west wing s7 for 22.88. fantastic deal. got the e-mail, printed it out, went to the store, went to customer service. they told me site-to-store was in the back. just kinda pointed, didn't tell me where exactly.

so i trekked to the back, keeping a look-out for the site-to-store sign. right by the shoe department, very difficult to see. i get there and there is not one soul. i push the button for help, and it says an associate is on the way. i wait five minutes. nothing. i push it again, another five minutes. nothing. third time's a charm? not really.

i see some employees walking from the warehouse area, but none of them are on the clock, so that's fine. they ask if i've pushed the button. "yes, several times." so they say they're going to get a manager. during the wait for the manager, i push the button three more times. finally, someone, not the manager i expected, arrives and goes in the back and gets my package, scans it and i'm done. so i spent literally 30 minutes waiting for something that took about 30 seconds to complete.

i guess i can't complain too much. waiting a little while sort of balances out the no-shipping-fee and the great price for the set. but why don't they have one or two (so they're not lonely) people manning that site-to-store desk at all times? why don't they actually have certain associates that are set to respond to the calls from the button, or why don't they just make it so much easier and have customer service help out? that way, customers could walk in to the front, get their item and be done.