Introduction
Price match is a practice where retailers make the prices of products they offer in their store equal to or almost equal to the purchase price of the same commodity offered by competition upon request and proof from the customer. Price matching enables a retail store to offer competition to its competitors and also be able to retain their loyal customers. This practice is used as a strategy for the store to be able to satisfy their customers’ needs and at the same time sell more. PetSmart offers its customers a price match from selected retailers. The customer must present proof of the competitor’s current purchase price, the product description which includes color, brand, and other specifications subject to the availability of stock in PetSmart stores and competitor stores.
PetSmart price match guarantee
For PetSmart to be able to assist its customers in need of a price match, they have come up with a PetSmart pricematch guarantee that is to be followed by all the PetSmart stores and customers. The guarantee states the terms and conditions that necessitate a price match, stores eligible, and all the exclusions.
Below are some of the details included in the PetSmart pricematch guarantee.
- PetSmart in-store price match guarantee
The following are the conditions that are followed when a customer visits a PetSmart store for a pricematch
- PetSmart matches the prices of products from competitors’ onsite stores.
If the customer visited a competitor store and found out a product that is available in PetSmart is offered at a lower price in the competitor store, PetSmart will pricematch the product for the customer to enable the customer to purchase it.
- PetSmart does not match prices from competitors’ online sites or catalogs.
Customers who visited competitors’ online sites or catalogs and found an identical cheaper product offered on the site but it’s more expensive at PetSmart stores cannot request a price match at PetSmart stores.
- PetSmart matches prices from PetSmart stores to those from www.petsmart.com
If a customer visits www.petsmart.com and finds out a product they would like to purchase and then visit PetSmart stores and finds out the product is more expensive on the store than on the online site, PetSmart will price match the product for the online site price.
- Before a customer requests a pricematch at the PetSmart store, they need to ensure the product is available in stock in both PetSmart and competitor stores. If the product is not available in stock, PetSmart will not pricematch it.
- A customer should provide proof to PetSmart; the proof can be in form of a receipt or advertisement. This gives PetSmart a basis on which the pricematch should be done and also a reference point.
- PetSmart does not pricematch prices of competitors during the competitors’ promotion for clearance sale, the competitor is holding a special event, or in the event, the competitor is liquidating.
During these periods, a competitor has deliberately lowered the price of a product as a marketing strategy.
- Buy One Get One Free offer or rebates cannot be price matched at PetSmart. As these are offers provided by competitors to lure customers to purchase more at their stores and only occur at onset periods.
- PetSmart does not price match pets and pet services.
If a customer wants to purchase a pet or wants to pay for a pet service at PetSmart but they have proof of competition offering a cheaper price, PetSmart cannot price it for them.
- PetSmart online price match guarantee
The following are the conditions that are followed when a customer visits petsmart.com for a pricematch
Petsmart.com matches competitors’ online current prices
A customer in need of a price match at petsmart.com needs to provide proof of competitors’ current online prices, if the prices have changed from what the customer has provided, petsmart.com cannot price match.
- The product to be price matched must be in stock at petsmart.com and competitors’ online sites. The customer must check both sites to ensure the product is still being offered as petsmart.com will also confirm the availability of stock.
- The product to be price matched must be identical in terms of color, brand, quality, and size. It’s the responsibility of the customer to ensure the product is identical and petsmart.com will also check to ensure the price match the customer is requesting is for an identical product.
- Petsmart.com does not match prices on Amazon, eBay, auction, or discount sites
Conclusion
PetSmart reserves the right to price match a product requested by the customer, decide on the level of price match to be applied, the competitors eligible, and decide the process or stages of a pricematch. The customer should also have read and understood the PetSmart pricematch guarantee that states the competitors’ stores are eligible for a price match, inclusions, and exclusions of the guarantee to avoid any misunderstanding ensuring the customer is satisfied.
