Price-matching fine print: Know policy

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Businesses are going to great lengths to rake in the most shoppers as the holiday season gets underway, promising they'll match competitors' prices -- even online.

But it's important to know each store's policy to make sure you walk away happy.

"They want the customers in the store and to do that, they've got to price match," said shopper Joanne Barnes.

Barnes hit the stores looking for a bargain.

"Everybody's watching the money right now," Barnes said. "It's hard times for everybody, so you're going to go where you're going to get the best deal."

For the first time,  Target is matching online prices this holiday season -- going up against Amazon, Walmart and BestBuy.com. Target is also extending its price-matching policy on competitor ads.

"Depending on the item," Target Manager Seth Hunt qualified. "If it's exactly the same item that we have."

There's where shoppers have to read the fine print. Many stores will match a price, but there are some qualifications.

Best Buy's price match guarantee states a store "may call the competitor to verify the lower price and availability of the item." And it won't price match items for sale Thanksgiving Day through the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Walmart price matches, but the items have to be identical down to the size, brand and even color.

That's too much attention to detail for shopper Cam Hockenberry.

"I'm more of a spontaneous shopper," he said. "The stuff I have right now, I really don't need, but I had to have it."

But for others, it's the bottom line that matters. Shopper Lorrie Mitchell told 24 Hour News 8 she has saved a few dollars here and there by taking stores up on their price-matching guarantee.

"A couple of dollars is a couple of dollars nowadays," she said.

Also keep in mind that most stores have limitations on matching online competitors. Some won't honor third-party sellers and some will only match certain online sites.

Shoppers should the price match policy so they don't waste their time.