Price matching toys

[TF76]

After attempt 4 I finally price matched a leader Brawl today at Brimbank Kmart. We got it for $56.70 but it was very difficult.

Even with Leader class in the catalogue and well stocked local Big W stores, it took close to an hour.

We went to Watergardens Big W and they had about 30 so we knew if they called we would have no issues, we were wrong.

I don’t think people at Big W are even going to the floor to look for stock when you call, their just looking at the catalogue.

We had 2 Kmart Phones and both our mobiles going until we finally got someone to go on the foor at a Big W and scan it. The combination of my girlfriend being well known to one of the Kmart staff, from working at the near by Target, combined with really nice lady in refunds meant they believed our clam and persevered.

After finally getting the price match we thanked the lady with a choc chip cookie.

[Demonac]

After attempt 4 I finally price matched a leader Brawl today at Brimbank Kmart. We got it for $56.70 but it was very difficult.

I've had the best & worst experience's at Brimbank Kmart.
The best was a year or 2 ago, I was after several deluxe toys, and Kmart had them ($6 more than -I forget where-). After tracking down a girl on the floor who helpfully went out back & found me the ones I was after, I mentioned to her that I would be price matching them. Without hesitation, she led me to the electronics section, and did it there, based on what I told her the price was. No phone calls, just a price match.

The worst was a few months back. Again with deluxe toys...only 1 this time (movie Landmine). I had the catalogue from Target showing 'deluxe action figures' in it. I was knocked back because, and I'm quoting here: "this is not an action figure". It was at this point that I completely lost it! I had never been so pissed off at a store crony in my life.
I managed to convince her (using quite a colourful choice of words) that it was an 'action figure', but she wasn't done yet. You see, this Kmart closes after Target, so she told me that because they can't call to confirm that Target had the item, they can't match the price. My response: "I'm sure there is a Target open in Perth somewhere...call one of them".
She finally relented at this point, and gave in to me.
Now what did she gain by making such a big deal out of it? Does she get a bonus in her pay for every price match she knocks back? I doubt it.

[sifun]

maybe it was that time of the month for her and it was late.

[JuzMel]

maybe it was that time of the month for her and it was late.

Boy you seriously wanna get smacked.. *smacks*...

[STL]

Boy you seriously wanna get smacked.. *smacks*...

[griffin]

Just managed to get TRU to price-match BigW's Movie Voyager price (in the July toy catalogue) for their Mudflap and Inferno toys. And I don't see it as being sneeky or deceptive either. They are price matching their 'Movie Voyagers' with BigW's 'Movie Voyagers'. If TRU were that keen to make money off exclusive items, they should show up at the register 'Exclusive item, not to be price matched'. As it stands, I legitimately pointed out that Mudflap and Inferno registered as 'Transformers Voyager' in their systems at the check-out, and showed them the quoted BigW catalogue of 'Movie Voyager', and the example photo of the same packaging. The person at the register was quick to accept the price to match because it was price-matching to a *size class* in the BigW catalogue. If the catalogue had mentioned a particular toy, or 'non-exclusives' or 'regular series' only, it would have been different. But this was TRU matching a price that was advertised at BigW for *all* Movie Voyagers.
The person at the register did comment that it was a huge discount, which I mentioned that there were some really cheap toys in the July sales, blah blah blah... making sure I didn't mention how TRU usually overprices toys anyway
At $45 down to $24.83 each, it was almost like getting 2 for the price of 1.

But I almost missed the chance though, because I tried to get a catalogue from BigW first, but they said that they had run out way back on Friday!! I did the next best thing and go to each of the instore service counters and asked if they had any spares left. The Layby counter did, and were very generous in letting me have it.
That one bit of generosity saved me $40.

[Kyle]

If TRU were that keen to make money off exclusive items, they should show up at the register 'Exclusive item, not to be price matched'.

If they were keen, they should also have a "TRU exclusvie" sticker on the box...

[Zippo]

Kmart is the only toy stocking store that price matches in New Zealand -- the other big two (Farmers and the Warehouse don't). Haven't tried for a long time to price match anything. I nornmally just wait for Farmers to have one of their sales with a blanket % of all toys or import from the USA.

[STL]

Corporations exist with the primary objective of maximising returns to their key stakeholders. It's no secret that many organisations have in this modern era broadened their definition of stakeholder to include the financiers, suppliers, the local community, and, last but not least, customers. Corporations frequently vindicate their strategies by contending that they are attempting to add and create value for their customers. That, however, is frequently at odds with their aim of maximising shareholder value. There's an inherent contradiction in this.

The objective of price matching is to function as a signal to the customer to be confident in the brand, the retailer. This builds the reputation of a business, elevates its status and brand, gives its brand relevance and meaning which translates into shareholder value - the ultimate objective of such a policy. There is value in this.

The pre-conditions attached to many price-matching policies attempt to curb the impact of price-matching itself. They are concerned with the creation of an artificial image of a corporation committed to the best price when it in fact is not. This defeats the purpose of price-matching. This limits the value that customers can derive from the policy. To many a person, the pre-conditions implicitly require a search cost. IE. to have the same item in stock. This is not knowledge that is easily ascertainable. So what? We require the customer to venture forth into several competitor's stores and seek proof themselves before daring to price-match? The policy, it would not be unfair to say, has little substantive value. It is an artifical veil that corporations can step behind to give the impression that they do care about price. There is no value in this.

And therein lies a disparity. Price-matching policies are rarely mutually beneficial. Rather, they are dress and weighed down with ever so slight qualifications that severely water down the benefit they are supposed to offer the customer. At best, price-matching is a complicated and difficult process that does reap some rewards. At worst, it is an illusion. Perhaps the real answer lies in the middle somewhere.

We have not even yet turned our minds to the other sources of power imbalances between ourselves and major corporations. A cursory examination would reveal that there is a wide divide between the individual consumer and the corporation. But that matters not. What we are discussing is price-matching. The essence of price-matching is to create value for the customer across similar product ranges, to build trust and confidence in a retailer's brand. I think that the events from which this discussion ignited are simply a reflection of this. In essence, we achieved the essence of what price-matching is about and to contend otherwise is to tangle oneself within a web of overcomplicating qualifications.