Couponing FAQ: price matching and competitor’s coupons

Lori’s curious about price matching and competitor’s coupons…

Which stores price match?  I’m particularly interested in King Soopers and Safeway. Do they match each other’s prices if I take the flier in there?

Walmart price matches and has for years.  It’s usually a pretty simple process – just take in the ad and show it to the cashier at checkout before they scan the item.  I’ve had experiences where they already knew what I was going to price match before I even showed them!

Related:

See the store coupon policies page for more info.

Target started price matching perhaps 6-12 months ago, but the process involves going to the customer service desk and in general, it’s a hassle.  They don’t match prices that require a store card (which basically takes out King Soopers or Safeway’s deals), and have a complicated way of determining whether or not you can use a store coupon when price matching.  Here’s their official policy.

As far as King Soopers and Safeway, they don’t price match – except on a very rare occasion!  Awhile back a reader was able to price match another store’s ad at King Soopers by asking nicely, but that seems to be the very rare exception rather than the rule.

Also, which stores take manufacturer’s coupons that have another store’s logo on it?

This can vary widely by chain, location, and cashier, but in general, if it’s a manufacturer’s coupon, many stores will accept it as long as it scans.  Safeway’s official policy actually states this: “Safeway will accept valid manufacturer coupon that displays another retailer’s logo or name only if such coupon is for a specific item.”

I’ve used catalina coupons for specific products several times at both King Soopers and Safeway, and usually ask before handing it to them, just to make sure there’s not a problem.  Generally, the cashier says “if it scans, we can take it”.  I usually try to have another coupon ready just in case it won’t scan or they aren’t willing to accept it.

One more note: coupons with a Target logo are *usually* store coupons, which won’t scan at other stores and it’s highly unlikely they’ll manually enter it since it’s not a manufacturer’s coupon.

What are your experiences with price matching at competitor’s coupons?  Can you offer more tips and insight?