We’re well on our way to spending less at the grocery store! Have you joined us yet? See previous posts:
Building Block 4: Price Match!
Price matching is the art of buying items at one store, but paying the price of another store. It’s buying corn at Walmart for the sale price that Bakers has. It’s buying milk at No Frills for Aldi’s price. I stress: price matching can be an art sometimes! Some stores make you show the ad. Some stores will match anything advertised. Some stores will price match everything except for produce and meat. Some stores will price match some store’s meats, but not others. Some stores will match any brand of produce. Some stores will make sure it’s Dole Strawberries and not some other kind. Each store is different. Nicole has them all documented.
My advice on this one is to start small! Pick a store that you generally like and get their price matching policy. If you’re unsure, ask their customer service. Be kind. Be polite. Smile a lot. If you (mistakenly) think something should be price matched, but they tell you no, that’s okay. Smile! And decide if you still want the item at their price. Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. If you don’t, just tell them so. They’re human too and usually not trying to be mean…they’re just doing their job. And always thank them!
How I price match
When I’m price matching, I keep the price match items separate as I shop and save those items for the end of the transaction. I’ve marked my grocery list with the items I’m price matching, so when I put those on the checkout lane, I save them til last. And then I put one of those transaction dividers between the first part of my order and the second part. I just tell the cashier “I have price matches after the divider.”
Then when she’s ready for those items, I tell her the price and I’m prepared to show her the ad if she needs it. Always have the ad with you even if you don’t think you have to have it! Better to be over-prepared.
When I first started price matching, I had a bunch of individual items that I was price matching, but since I’ve built a stockpile, I’m usually price matching in bulk. Example: When spaghetti sauce goes on sale, I’m buying 24 cans. That’s usually easier for the cashier to ring up. But there are still times that I have a dozen or so price matches.
I also try to go at less busy times since it does take more time than just a normal transaction. And I try to be sensitive to the people behind me – if someone walks up with just a few items, I’ll let them go ahead. That might also be because grocery shopping is a mini-vacation for me! No kids!
And I’ll admit that there are certain cashiers that I look for. Not because they allow things that others don’t because there are just certain people that are nicer than others! In fact, there’s one gal at my favorite store who is always grumpy. When I have price matches, she acts like it’s the hardest thing for her to do. But there’s a different cashier at the same exact store who knows exactly how to ring it into the register. You’ll learn! Most cashiers are great and I think horror stories are the exception, not the norm.
Where do you like to price match?
Jayme is a wife to 1 and, so far, a mother to two little boys. She coupons, but isn’t super extreme about it. She price matches and loves it! While she likes to cook, she’s in the stage of life where simple is usually better! She never knows how many hands she’ll have free at dinner time! You can find her at No Regrets Living.
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I love using the favado app for price matching!!! Super convenient! I also place a small sticky note with the competitors price written on it on the item that I’m price matching.