Do Costco Prices Match? (full policy explanation)
If you’re trying to get the best price when shopping at Costco, you might be wondering if the company has a price-matching policy.
This will give you the flexibility to know you are getting the best price on a product that is available anywhere in the area.
Do Costco Prices Match?
Unfortunately, as of 2023, Costco does not price match any grocery retailer. However, if Costco offers a sale price within 30 days of purchase, the store will refund you the difference in price on your previous Costco purchase.
Knowing Costco’s price match policy will allow you to better determine how much research you need to do before purchasing any given product.
It is important to understand the specific policy and how it benefits you as a consumer. The following guidelines will help achieve that goal.
What is Costco’s comprehensive price matching policy?
Costco has a policy of avowedly offering competitive prices to customers directly at the point of purchase.
Therefore, they do not price match other retailers.
Costco will refund the difference in price on any product purchased by the individual member at a lower price within 30 days of purchase. This offer is not applicable to retail customers.
The company is also offering a full refund on any purchase for any reason under certain times and under certain conditions.
One notable exception is that where prohibited by law, refunds are not permitted for cigarettes or alcohol.
3 Reasons Costco’s Prices Mismatch
Costco doesn’t think this price matching is good for its business model. There are some good reasons to avoid offering a price match policy.
Here are three of the most frequently mentioned drawbacks.
- margins get thinner – Most businesses are already highly competitive. This means that there is not much profit to be made from many products in the first place. Price matching can further erode already thin margins. This directly erodes profits and ultimately affects consumers by raising future prices.
- price war possible – Price wars sound good for consumers, but often they are not. When a range of competitors in a given region engage in a price war, there are few winners. For example, if one or more competitors are forced out of the field, other stores raise prices accordingly.
- Encourage consumers to shop at competitors – Many stores have discovered that encouraging customers to check prices at competitors can be counterproductive. Instead, Costco marketed itself by offering lower overall product prices to attract a more loyal following. The strategy appears to be paying dividends for them.
Those disadvantages underscore some of the reasons many stores, including Costco, shy away from offering price-matching policies. There is a legitimate reason to consider both sides of the issue.
However, the absence of such a policy shouldn’t indicate that a store has something to hide. Essentially, they are banking on the hope that customers will find value in the products and services they offer throughout the store.
Will Costco honor the old sales prices?
Costco will only honor advertised prices during promotional periods. If you buy something from Costco and find out it was $10 off a month ago, you won’t be able to get the item for $10 off.
The price adjustment policy only applies if you buy a product and the store lowers the price of that product.
Do Costco prices match Best Buy?
Likewise, Costco does not offer price matching. Best Buy says they do offer price matching with competitors, including online retailers. However, price matching with Costco is difficult because:
- Costco doesn’t always disclose its prices to the public. Only members can see prices.
- Best Buy must verify that you live near a Costco warehouse.
- Best Buy will only do price matching during the sale.
Will Costco’s prices match Amazon’s?
Neither Costco nor Amazon participate in price matching. Amazon can’t adjust prices because they include the many companies and small businesses that use its platform to sell products.
Amazon will often tell you if another retailer on Amazon has a lower price.
Can I get price adjustments at Costco?
Although Costco doesn’t offer price matching, they do offer price adjustments based on store prices.
According to Costco, they will credit the difference between the price you paid and the promotional price offered,
- Adjustments are made on behalf of the consumer.
- Your purchase was made within 30 days of the price change.
Note that this is only for consumers, not resellers. Dealers can purchase promotional items for advertised prices during the run.
If you purchased an item at the warehouse, you may inquire about price adjustments at the store’s membership counter.
If you purchased online, go to the Costco customer service page and request a price adjustment. You can also see if Costco has made adjustments.
Does Costco do price matching in Canada?
Costcos in Canada does not accept price matching. If you purchased the product within 30 days before the new price was set, it will adjust the price for you to reflect the current advertised price.
This adjustment policy is also known as a price reduction guarantee.
Where price adjustments can be made depends on where you purchased the product.
Also, if you bought it at a store, simply return it to the store you bought it from and ask for an adjustment.
If you’re buying online, you can also go to Costco Canada Customer Service and click the Price Adjustment tab. Or you can call Costco at 1-888-426-7826.
Does Costco have a different pricing policy in the UK?
It appears that Costco’s price reduction guarantee is the same in the UK. You will only receive a refund from the Costco location where you purchased the product.
If you buy online through Costco UK, you will only be able to adjust the price there. You must live in the UK to use https://www.costco.co.uk/.
What are the benefits of shopping where price matching is offered?
First, it’s important to remember that not all stores offer a price match guarantee.
For example, Costco does not. However, other stores in your area that offer price matching will accept the Costco price within that guarantee. Here are some of the benefits associated with price matching that you need to keep in mind.
Save yourself the hassle of driving from one store to another
You may be looking for a specific product that you don’t want to buy online. To find the best price, you often need to drive from one store to another to do your research.
However, shopping where prices match can effectively solve this problem.
You no longer have to drive all over town to compare prices. With price matching, you only buy products at stores that offer the guarantee.
You will then have a certain amount of time to find out if a competitor is offering a lower price. If they do, the store will at least refund you the difference.
get the most out of the internet
Comparing the prices of your favorite products on your own can be challenging. Thankfully, this is one area where the internet has re-emerged to save the day. You can spend your time looking for better prices.
When you do this, you can always show the store an approved ad and get a lower price.
all contenders will work
A more notable benefit of price matching is that it works with almost any competitor in the area. That means you’re not limited in where you can find better deals.
This opens up the playing field for consumers, which is why many shoppers prefer to look for stores that offer a price-match guarantee.
you may save more money
Some stores that offer a price match guarantee will give you a better deal than the competition.
This means that if you find a lower price on a product you want to buy or have already bought, the store will lower that price by a certain percentage. This allows you to put money back in your pocket.
Increased consumer confidence
Customers often say they feel more confident shopping at a store that offers some kind of price-matching guarantee. They may not even actively seek lower prices.
Just knowing that the store offers such a guarantee is usually enough. This is important from the standpoint of boosting consumer confidence and driving sales numbers.
price remains competitive
Stores that offer a price-matching policy are effectively locked in to keep their prices competitive. This is important because they don’t want to be seen as having to keep offering lower prices.
In order to be seen as the store with the lowest prices, they will go the extra mile to ensure that the prices offered are truly the lowest in the area.
To learn more about saving at Costco, you can check out my posts on using coupons at Costco, using EBT at Costco, veteran discounts, and senior discounts.
in conclusion
While Costco doesn’t have an established price-matching policy, it does advertise that its prices are generally very competitive. If you buy from Costco first, they will pay the difference between the price of their product and the price of the other store’s product. This must be done within 30 days of purchase.
Costco will also provide a full refund to any customer who is not satisfied with the price paid. At that point, the customer is free to go to another store and buy the product again at a lower price.
