Best Buy is now price matching Amazon and 19 other e-tailers on HDTVs, audio components and other consumer electronics. However, they leave themselves an out and a suspend the policy during the year’s biggest retail week. Learn all the details after the break.
The new price match policy began on October 7. Best Buy suspends price matching between the start of Black Friday week (Nov. 18) through Cyber Monday (November 26th). The policy states it will “match the new, identical, immediately available current pre-tax appliance and electronics hardware products price for these designated major retailers: Amazon.com, Apple.com, Bhphotovideo.com, Buy.com, Circuitcity.com, CompUSA.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, hhgregg.com, hp.com, homedepot.com, lowes.com, newegg.com, officedepot.com, officemax.com, Sears.com, Staples.com, Target.com, Tigerdirect.com, and walmart.com. Appliance and electronics hardware products include audio hardware, video hardware, cameras, camcorders, desktop computers, notebook computers, e-Readers, tablets, TVs, MP3 players, small appliances, major appliances, gaming handheld devices and consoles”.
We took a trip to our local Best Buy (BB) to test the new policy. We choose the 55-inch LG 55LM8600
A Best Buy spokesperson told us all its floor personnel, referred to as “blue shirts” are trained to match prices under its new holiday policy. However, a blue shirt may reject a price match if it “does not make sense”. While the spokesperson would not elaborate as to what would not make sense, the policy gives Best Buy a very definite out. We surmise BB needs this escape route if Amazon (or others) decides to get down and dirty and offer hot selling TVs below cost.
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Amazon still has a number of advantages over Best Buy. While Amazon direct includes free shipping on almost all the TVs its sells, Best Buy stores charges $69.99 for delivery although they are currently waving the fee for TVs 46-inches or larger. While brick and mortar stores always collect sales tax, Amazon is only required to collect sales tax in the states of California, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, and Washington. For other pros and cons of on-line versus brick and mortar TV shopping read our article here.
The Policy
“Best Buy will match the new, identical, immediately available current pre-tax appliance and electronics hardware products price for these designated major retailers: Amazon.com, Apple.com, Bhphotovideo.com, Buy.com, Circuitcity.com, CompUSA.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, hhgregg.com, hp.com, homedepot.com, lowes.com, newegg.com, officedepot.com, officemax.com, Sears.com, Staples.com, Target.com, Tigerdirect.com, and walmart.com. Appliance and electronics hardware products include audio hardware, video hardware, cameras, camcorders, desktop computers, notebook computers, e-Readers, tablets, TVs, MP3 players, small appliances, major appliances, gaming handheld devices and consoles. Best Buy will not price match accessories, during the return and exchange period or the online prices of third party vendors (Marketplace Vendors) on major retailer websites. Valid for purchases made between October 7, 2012 – November 17, 2012 and November 27, 2012 – December 24, 2012. Best Buy may amend these terms at any time. All other terms and conditions of the Best Buy Price Match Guarantee apply. See Store for details.”
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