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Grocery Stores that Price Match
Buying groceries right now can be extremely expensive. Because grocery stores tend to have different sales every week, some of your favourite items may be cheaper somewhere else. To avoid driving to another store or paying more than you have to for the item, check to see if your store has a price match program.
Here is a list of the grocery stores in Canada that price match, as well as their policies. Keep in mind though, that for all grocery stores that price match There are some restrictions. Price matching doesn’t apply to clearance items or prescriptions, alcohol or tobacco products, and gift cards.
FreshCo
If you’ve ever shopped at FreshCo, you’d know that they have a “Lowest Price Guarantee.” What exactly does that mean, though? Well, it means that if a store in the same geographic location as you offers the same product for a lower price, FreshCo will sell you the item for $0.01 lower than the competitor's advertised price, up to 4 price-matched items per customer per transaction. In order to get this price, you must show them proof at the till, which can either be with a paper or digital flyer.
No Frills
No Frills is another grocery store that will allow you to price match. They will price match with any major grocery store competitor in the same geographic location. Just like FreshCo, they have a limit of up to 4 price match items per customer per transaction.
In order to claim the lower advertised price from another store, you need to show the print or digital flyer at the till. If you forget to do this for some reason, you have up to 7 days to claim a refund for the price difference.
Real Canadian Superstore
Real Canadian Superstore is another great option for price matching. Just like the other stores, they will only price match up to 4 items per customer per transaction. They will price match any major grocery store in the same geographic region as well.
To price match with pc express orders, it must be done after the fact. Once you have picked up your order, you can email customer service. It may take up to 30 days to get a response but once the price match is approved you will get a refund for the price difference.
Giant Tiger
Giant Tiger’s price match policies are similar to those of FreshCo. If you show a competitor's advertised price with a print or digital flyer, then they will sell you that item for $0.01 less than the competitor's price. Not only do they price match for in-store items, but online only items as well.
Maxi
Maxis is a Loblaws grocery store in Quebec. If you shop at Maxi, they will price-match major supermarket competitors in Quebec, with a limit of up to 4 items per customer per transaction. You can use either the print or digital flyer. You can also price match when you go to pick up your online order.
IGA
When you are price matching at IGA, you can price match up to 4 items per transaction per person. Not only will they price match, though, but they will sell you the item for $0.01 less than the competitor's advertised price. Just like any other store, you can only price match identical items, but unlike some other stores, you can’t combine a price match with other offers.
Save On Foods
While Save On Foods, doesn’t necessarily match the price match, what they will do is give you the Western Family equivalent for free if you can show them the national brand equivalent to that item at a lower advertised price. That being said, Save On Foods decides what the national brand equivalent is to that item.
The restriction is that this has to be for one item, it doesn’t work for buy x get x offers, clearance items, or items that are discontinued.
Other Grocery Stores in Canada
The stores above that price match are just a few of the major grocery stores in Canada. What about the other stores? Well, unfortunately, they don't match the price. So if you shop at these stores, such as Metro, Safeway, Food Basics, Sobeys and Shoppers Drug Mart, you will actually have to go to the store with the lower advertised price in order to save money on that item.
One store that people wonder if they match prices is Walmart. Unfortunately, though, Walmart price matching isn’t a thing. That being said, they do have a lot of unbeatable prices already.
Loblaws and Price Matching
While Loblaws owns quite a few stores in Canada, not all of them price match. The ones that do are:
- Real Canadian Superstore
- Maxi
- No Frills
The rest of them offer price matching. However, just because they don’t price match, that doesn’t mean that you can't use their flyers to price match at stores that offer it. This can help you avoid shopping at too many stores and limit your trip to just one store.
Flyers You Can Price Match With
When you start price matching, you may wonder what stores you can price match with. Do certain stores not take certain flyers? What are your options? Well, let’s take a look and see if any of the stores that price match have limitations.
As many stores have in their policies, they say they will price match any major competitor in the same geographical region. What does this mean exactly? This means that it must be a store that is in the same town. If the store is one town over, whether you have that store where you live or not, you will be unable to use that flyer to price match.
Do Stores Other than Grocery Stores Price Match?
While this may be a surprise to you, plenty of other Canadian stores price match. Ones that aren’t grocery stores. Depending on where you live, there may be more than others. Let’s take a look.
Best Buy
Have you ever heard of Best Buy’s “Low Price Guarantee”? It is also sometimes referred to as their price match guarantee. It works in that you can price match with a print or digital flyer at purchase, or you have 30 days to get a refund on the price difference. This 30 day rule doesn’t just apply to other stores, it also applies to their own prices. If they will give you back the price difference as long as you bring in your receipt within 30 days.
Staples
Staples is another store with a great price match policy. It works by allowing you to price match with a digital or paper flyer of an authorized Canadian dealer at the time of purchase. Otherwise, you have 14 days to get the price difference.
Unlike other stores, Staples not only price matches but they will also match bonus offers. If a particular store is offering a bonus offer, such as a gift card or another product that they carry, they will match that bonus offer.
The Source
The Source is another store that has a “Best Price Guarantee”. If you find a price lower at any Canadian dealer, they will match that offer either at the time of purchase or within the time period that their return policy states. You will then get the lower price or a refund for the price difference.
Home Depot
Home Depot’s price guarantee is different from that of other stores. It works because if the offer is an in-store offer from a retail store, they will not only match the price but beat it by 10%. If the offer is an online offer, then Home Depot will only match the price. Either way, Home Depot will match the offer. Keep in mind that this offer isn’t available on all of their products. You will have to enquire to see if the product you want to price matches or qualifies.
Lowe's
In order for Lowe's price match policy to come into effect, the price difference has to be more than $1.00. That being said, Lowes will not only match the price, they will beat it by 10%. This policy is effective for both online and instore offers.
Leon’s
With all of Leon’s purchases, they offer a 60-day guarantee. That being said, in order to qualify, it needs to be the same product in the same area with the same terms.
Rona
Rona’s price match policy is the same as Lowe's. There has to be at least a $1.00 difference in order to qualify, and they will beat the price by 10%. It is also valid for both in-store and online offers.
The Brick
If you are looking to price match with The Brick, it depends on what you are purchasing. For price-matching appliances, you must price match within 30 days from the date of delivery, and not only will they price match, but they will beat the price by 20%. With mattresses, the policy is 90 days from the date of delivery, and they will beat the price by 10%. All other items from The Brick are allowed for 30 days, and they will match the price.
Costco
Costco’s policy only allows for price adjustments. How it works is if you purchase an item online from costco.ca, and it drops within 30 days of purchasing, then you can get the difference back as a refund. They don’t price match for any in store purchases to themselves or any other store.
Toys R Us
While Toys R Us did price match up until October 2021, now they will only do price matches to their own prices, within 30 days of purchase. This is for instore or online offers.
PetSmart
PetSmart is very specific when it comes to its price-matching policy. They will only match in-store purchases with in-store offers and online purchases with online offers. For in-store purchases, the other retailer must have the item in stock in order to get a competitive price. For online purchases, they will only price-match other retailers. Sites like Amazon and eBay aren’t included.
Stores That Price Match Where You Live in Canada
All of the stores listed above will price match anywhere in Canada, as long as you have that store and are price matching with a local competitor. In order to figure out what to price match, you can check out online apps like Flipp and Reebee, or you can look through your weekly flyers in the paper. Price matching is a great way to save money while still buying the things that you need.
Things To Consider With Price Matching
While price matching is a great way to save money, and stores are more than willing to do so, there are restrictions on each store. In order to be eligible to price match, you have to be sure that you’re following the store’s price matching policy to ensure you get the cheaper price on the same item.
No matter which store you’re buying items at, whether it’s electronics stores or grocery stores, there are some general guidelines that all stores follow. These include:
- Products being sold must be done so by an authorized Canadian dealer
- Being unable to price match with special event pricing
- Items being the exact product as shown in the flyer
- Items being new and in stock
- All price matching doesn’t include hidden fees
For most stores, the limit per purchase of each item is 4. Keep in mind that this is per transaction, though, so you are able to make more than one transaction as long as the flyer is still active.
Whether you’re going on a grocery haul, or just buying gifts, price matching gives you access to some of the best deals as long as you follow the stores guidelines.
Final Thoughts
With groceries and other items costing so much these days customers are seeking all of the discounts that they can get. One of the ways that many big box retailers allow you to do this is with price matching. Plus, the fact that you can price match, use coupons and earn rewards all in one transaction can gain you an advantage when it comes to saving.
When you’re looking to price match, the cashier will need to verify that the model matches so the value of the product is the same, even though the cash price isn’t. They do this by reviewing the competition flyer (paper or website) and comparing that to the item you’re purchasing. Once they can confirm it’s the same, then you’ll get the savings.
Whether you’re looking to save a buck on back-to-school items, everyday items, or items for a day at the beach, price matching can help. It might not be as convenient as online shopping, but the bit of savings on shipping costs help you add to your savings account or make sure other bills are covered. If you’re unsure about your store's price matching policies and you have concerns regarding your transaction, it’s best to talk to the store. They’ll help guide you through the process.
