Competitor's Coupons
Competitor's Coupon
Why do businesses offer to honor their competitor's coupons?
Answer: They want your business! They honor the other store’s coupon to keep your business. You will probably buy other products or services while you are at the store, and they will make some profit on those purchases.
Unlike manufacturer coupons, no one reimburses the store when a store coupon is used. It's just an additional cost incurred when running a business. You coming back to their store is worth this cost.
Is this always a good deal?
You need to read the fine print on a store's policy on competitor coupon matching. Some may just match the coupon, while some may require other conditions. Also, sometimes a manufacturer will make what appears to be the same product to be sold at several different outlet stores.
For example, a carpet cleaner appliance may be sold by two large box stores. The item may be almost the same, but will contain a small attachment and/or have a different model number on it (e.g., L102876CC or HD102876CC). This may disqualify the item from the match policy.
Is the coupon for a fixed amount or percentage?
The best deal may depend on the original price at a particular store. Let's use small appliances for our examples.
If the amount is a fixed amount, like $10, you need to subtract that amount from the original individual store price. For example, if Store X has the product for $100 with a $10 off store coupon, that makes the price to you $90. If Store Y has the item for $110 with the $10 off coupon it will be $100. This one is relatively easy to decide, but you still need to figure in other items like service, distance from your home and reputation of the business.
If the coupon is for a percentage, you need to calculate the percentage from the original price for all stores. For example if the original price is $100 at Store X minus the 10%, the cost to you is $90. Store Y's original price is $110 minus the 10% making the final cost to you $99.
Store X seems to be the best deal in both calculations. But you still need to decide how important service, distance from your home, reputation of the business, and return policy is in making your decision.
If the Store Y's original price was $99 minus the 10%, it would be $89.10. The difference is relatively small, so other factors may determine where you buy, like distance from your home or any "extras" included in the deal (e.g., free bottle of rug shampoo).
Also, some stores offer an extended store warranty coverage on certain products. Be sure to include this in your calculation.
Some people just buy the item where they can get the best price, assuming it is the exact item. You need to determine if is is worth making separate trips to save 90 cents or $1.
Be Aware of Additional Requirements (*see samples)
Some store coupons may specify that the total purchase must be over a certain amount to qualify, for example: $20 or $50. If you are going to buy other products at a particular store, this might be a good time to use that coupon.
You need to read the store policy on competitor's coupons and/or price matching to see how this affects your purchase. Some stores don't accept competitor's coupons but will match competitor's prices! Some stores have their policy online while others are posted in the store. You may have to ask to see the policy in some stores.
Some businesses match, beat and maybe even add a little something more!
You may find some businesses that go beyond price matching. You may find some great deals.
Be sure to read the fine print for all the details on offers from different businesses. Terms like "local" and "competitor" aren't always clearly defined in writing and are subject to wide interpretation. Sometimes this interpretation is done by local management and may not be what the company intended.
It doesn't hurt to ask "what does this include" or "how does this work." You can always say no deal, and most businesses don't want to leave customers with a bad impression of them. Most businesses want you to tell others of the great deal which will send them more customers.
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"a little extra"
*Sample (Partial) Policy:
"We do match our competitors' prices. Just bring a copy of the competitor's ad with the current date on it to your nearest store. Make sure the ad includes a description of the item."
* Sample (partial) Policy
"Customers are required to provide the competitor current advertisement. Photocopies will not be accepted. In addition, the product must be in stock or deliverable within 7 days and we may call the store to verify price and availability."
Look for exclusions!
Example:
"We will not accept
percent off coupons
for sale and
promotional items."
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