With after-Christmas sales underway and President\u2019s Day deals just around the corner,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0easy to buy something only to see it advertised for\u00a0less\u00a0a day or two later. It can feel frustrating, but Consumer Reports says you may not be stuck paying the higher price. Knowing how price matching and price adjustments work can help you get money back\u2014and avoid overpaying in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Overpaying happens more often than shoppers realize, but a little knowledge can keep more cash in your pocket. Before you buy, Consumer Reports recommends taking a few minutes to review a retailer\u2019s price-match and price-adjustment policies. These rules can allow you to claim a lower price either before or after\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0made a purchase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Consumer Reports shopping expert Samantha Gordon says understanding a retailer\u2019s policies makes it much easier to navigate sales and get the best possible deals. The key difference comes down to timing. Price matching happens before you\u00a0buy, when\u00a0a store agrees to match a lower advertised price. Price adjustments apply after a purchase, when an item you already bought drops in\u00a0price\u00a0and the retailer offers a partial refund.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Policies vary widely by retailer, so it pays to read the fine print.\u00a0Target<\/a>, for example, will only match its own in-store and online prices within\u00a014 days, and in-store matches must come from the same Target location.\u00a0Walmart<\/a>\u2019s policy applies only in-store: shoppers can request a match if they see a lower price on Walmart.com<\/a> while shopping in person, but the company does not match competitors\u2019 prices and has several exclusions.\u00a0Costco<\/a>\u00a0allows price adjustments if an item drops in price within\u00a030 days\u00a0of purchase, though online purchases must be adjusted\u00a0online\u00a0and in-store purchases must be handled in person.\u00a0<\/p>\n No matter where you shop, Consumer Reports stresses the importance of comparing identical items\u2014right down to the model number and color. Having proof also helps. Receipts, ads, screenshots, or printed listings of lower prices can strengthen your case.\u00a0<\/p>\n While it may feel like extra work, Gordon says those few minutes spent checking policies are usually worth it. And even if a retailer says no, shoppers still have another\u00a0option. Some credit cards offer price protection benefits that may refund the difference if an item drops in price shortly after purchase.\u00a0<\/p>\n Taking a proactive approach can help ensure you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0leave money on the table\u2014and may even help you save after\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0already walked out of the store.\u00a0<\/p>\n COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With after-Christmas sales underway and President\u2019s Day deals just around the corner,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0easy to buy something only to see…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":522865,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[64,44679,121411,232563,13299,232565,232564,255,5207,232566,14339,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-522864","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-christmas","10":"tag-consumer-reports","11":"tag-consumer-theory","12":"tag-costco","13":"tag-in-store-and-online-prices","14":"tag-online-purchases","15":"tag-personal-finance","16":"tag-president","17":"tag-samantha-gordon","18":"tag-saving","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115910710561916021","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}