Andre Yoskowitz
13 Oct 2012 16:38
Best Buy has announced that it will price match online prices of competition for in-store customers to avoid "showrooming."
Showrooming is where customers go in-store to try out a product before going back home to buy it online at places like Amazon for better prices and in some states, no tax.
Most brick-and-mortar retailers, like Best Buy, price match other brick-and-mortar store prices but will not price match online prices, which almost always are lower.
While the new move is certainly an improvement, it is not absolute. The match will be given "on an if asked basis" and is ultimately at the discretion of the staff.
Additionally, the company will not price match special one-off sales. For example, if Amazon is doing a Gold Box sale where they slash prices on an item by 50%, Best Buy will reject the price match. If an item is out of stock, Best Buy will ship it to you for free, as well.
The new policy is in effect until November 17th and then from November 27th to December 24th, carefully avoiding Black Friday and Cyber Monday.