If you’re short on time and energy, but you want to cut your grocery bill, take advantage of price-matching at Walmart.
Instead of running around to three different stores to get the best deals at each of those stores, just circle the best deals in the sale ads at each of those stores and take the ads to Walmart and they’ll match the price.
It’s simple and easy to do–and can save you a lot of time and money. According to Walmart’s price-matching policy, you don’t even need to bring in the competitor’s ad. However, I usually do, just in case there’s any question as to the advertised deal.
One word of caution: if you’re tempted to buy things you don’t need when you run into Walmart for groceries you might find that price-matching doesn’t save you money since you fill your cart with other things you weren’t planning to buy. If that is a weakness of yours, you might be better off just sticking with shopping at your local grocery stores.
For more information on how to price-match at Walmart, check out my video blog.
Find more Supermarket Savings Tips here.
I save myself so much time and money by doing this. My local Wal Mart is great! I worked there back before I had kids and I loved it! I was treated wonderfully and I was made to feel like I mattered-having worked there and knowing how respected and well treated I was I hate reading hate speak about them all the time. Do they make a bundle of money? yes! are there problems in some places? yes! but does that mean that all are mean and terrible? no! I worked there 8 years ago and that store manager still greets me by name when I walk in the store. I can match prices without ads (although I always have them so I can double check items I am buying myself) and I get no hassle about the coupons that I use or even if there is an overage etc. I get polite workers and I am happy to give them my business! All that being said-I will agree I am not always impressed with their produce and I only buy chicken breasts there as far is meat is concerned because I can buy it in a huge bulk package. I buy most of my meat and produce at the only other grocery store in town. Why don’t they get more of my business? They were the ONLY grocery store in our town until our Super Wal Mart was finished and if you want to talk about greedy-they were it! You could travel to another branch of that grocery chain 25 minutes away and save over $1 on most items as they were over priced for us locally-they were taking advantage of their grocery monopoly and I didn’t like it-they lost a lot of my business when SWM opened as a result and I don’t feel guilty about it one bit!
I think it’s great that you had a good experience working there; however, I know many people who have worked at a local Wal-Mart, including a family member, and they were all treated terribly.
My family member was injured at work and the manager screamed at her that she was ruining his no-injuries record, and refused to send her to the hospital, until she told him that she’d sue him.
She had torn two ligaments in her arm and it never healed properly, because Wal-Mart refused to pay past a certain amount of dr. visits and physical therapy.
Something similar happened to another lady we know. She broke her wrist and they told her she was a whiner and that there was nothing wrong with her. Well, she had fractured it in three places, and it also never healed properly.
There’s a major lawsuit pending against Wal-Mart because of issues like these, so they are not isolated cases.
I go to the store only if I have to. The cashiers are almost always grouchy and I can never get anyone to help me. Can’t say that I blame them…
I just started price matching this year. I often do it with items that run out at other stores or for food items that are on sale at the drug stores. Often times drug stores have good deals on food, but the expiration dates are close or the variety is limited. This week, I price matched milk and Coffee Mate Creamer from the Walgreens ad. I used two 75 cents off coupons and 2 bogo coupons on the creamer. The bogo coupon took off the full amount so I paid 14 cents for 4 mocha creamers. My Walgreens doesn’t carry the mocha variety so I went to Walmart for that, but I bought my French Vanilla at Wags while I was doing my RR deals. I’ll probably price match large eggs to the upcoming Wags ad this coming week because my Wags will sell out and that’s okay, I’ll get a rain check for later. I like price matching and have only had minor issues.
I recently read online that Wal-Mart will only be selling a new genetically modified sweet corn this summer from Monsanto. Testing wasn’t as complete as it should have been according to the article. You might want to research it before you price match some things (like corn) at Wal-Mart.
Does anyone know if you can price match at Food 4 Less? I read once that you could, but that it wasn’t written down, so I haven’t tried it.
Does anybody know if you can price match at Walmart using the safeway coupons that come in the paper or in their advertisements? I’ve always wondered about that.
As long as it has a price with it – $1.99 for milk, for example. I do it all the time. You just say “I need to price match the milk. It’s $1.99 at Safeway.”
I like what you said it frees up some time to do this. And yes we have to be very careful for two things. One is to only get what is on your list and the other is that sometimes prices will ring up incorrectly.
I will price match at Walmart, but usually only if I absolutely don’t have time to drive the half hour to our nearest Meijer (regional superstore). My Walmart has horrible produce and meat, so I don’t buy those there. Also, I just don’t feel good about the ethics of Walmart as a corporation. They give far less back to the community than many other big businesses and often don’t treat their employees very fairly. Meijer has given a tremendous amount back to the communities it serves and I have heard great things about the way they treat employees and the opportunities offered. I may end up spending more at times, but I feel better about where my money is going, which is important, too.
As good as the prices can be at Walmart, sometimes things are too good to be true. And in the case of Walmart, it is. The low prices come at a price that I am not willing to pay–the value of human beings. Those who run Walmart have continued to show that they do not value quality human treatment more than taking home 16 million dollars in one year for themselves. By shopping there we are saying that we don’t mind their business model of money before people. Budgets are moral documents, on the large scale like the CEOs of Walmart, but also on a small scale in our homes. Please consider what you are supporting when you shop at Walmart.
Well put Jen!!
EXACTLY. I understand families are on budgets but I cannot shop at Walmart knowing that the 6 owners (all brothers and sisters) are richer than 70% of America and they have horrible business practices. We trust that God will work out our finances as long as I coupon, save money and shop at Target (where my husband works). There is just too much about Walmart that is inhumane. My family deserves the best and so do the families of those being harmed by Walmart.
So well said Jen! I don’t care how good the deal is, I cannot in good faith spend a penny at Wal-Mart.
I have friends that do this every week and it works great for them! My Walmart however does not make it easy. I have tried price matching there 3 times and each one was a PITA. They always have to bring a manager over and have some excuse for why they can’t price maych, but then decide “this one time” they will do it. My last attempt at price matching I was told the non sale price must be listed in the ad along with the sale price… That is not common to see in most grocery ads! I always have the ad too. So for me, it is not worth my effort to make the attempt, but I believe it is my Walmart that’s the problem.
Our Walmart is great about price-matching.
In fact, the cashiers will even tell me about great price-matching deals that I wasn’t aware of. For instance, they’ll say, “Bananas are on sale for .29 a pound at xxx store so I’m going to ring yours up at that price.” It’s really nice!
I price match Aldi’s produce, however, the first few times I did I had terrible experiences. My Aldi’s is several miles out of my way. I just happened to see the Walmart store manager in the produce department one day and asked him directly how produce should be rung up if it didn’t match up exactly. For instance a 3 pound bag at Aldi’s and a 4 pound bag at Walmart. I was told the cashier was to determine the price per pound at Aldi’s then multiply by the number of pounds being purchased at Walmart. Needless to say, I do the math before I get to the checkout to make it easier for the cashier. I would not take any children or husband with you the first time you try price matching Aldi’s. produce.
Super Target is terrible for price matching. They make you take the items to the front desk and do it there. I think they do that on purpose so you won’t price match, which I don’t do there because of that, so I guess they win.
I didn’t realize that Target price matches. It would be worth it to me if there was a really good deal and my kids were in a good mood 🙂
The problem with this tip….is that you’re shopping at Walmart. After reading how Walmart treats their employees and seeing how they can wipe out the business in no time flat and not bat an eye. We don’t shop at Walmart.
Target does the exact same price matching!
From when I’ve found, it’s more complicated at Target since you have to go to the customer service desk and it can be more of a hassle.
The other thing I’ve had troubles with when I price match at Target are sales advertised as 10/$10. At my King Soopers (the Kroger store in this area) you don’t have to buy 10 to get this deal. But I’ve been told on several occasions at Target that they interpret that sale as a “bulk” sale and that if you are price matching with them you DO have to buy all 10 to get the price.
AGREE!!! Walmart is a horrible store. We don’t shop there either.
Our local Walmart makes it a very difficult experience to price match. We’ve tried it twice, once bringing all the ads another time relying on their master list. The customers behind me were as impatient as the clerk and manager. I refuse to shop at Walmart any more than needed. Right now I go there maybe once every 2 months since I can find better deals using doubled coupons & sales at other stores. Not to mention the fact that the only local Walmart is dangerous to shop at during evening hours!
I never price match at Walmart either, because our Walmart isn’t coupon friendly, wont enter coupons manually that don’t scan, and it’s a bigger hassle than going to my local grocery store where the managers all know me and my kids by first name, they see us several times a week, and the cashiers are friendly and give me no trouble about my coupons, no matter how large a stack I bring in!
Unfortunately where I live the produce is always less than to be desired at Walmart. I wind up never shopping there. Even some of the name brand and store brand stuff is as much as the other stores around here. The way I keep my grocery list/price down each week is buy 3/4 fresh produce from a local stand and then the rest at the stores where the sales are. We also cut down on processed, dairy, red meat and that helps a lot. Thanks for your site, it is great!
I agree! I’ve been to SuperCenters in several states and the produce is almost always bad. I not going to pay any amount of money for food covered with fruit flies.
I also don’t buy their meat, as they inject the packages with gas to keep it looking fresh.
Ooh! How do you know that about the meat?
Research “carbon monoxide treated meat”. There are a lot of news story about it from 2006-2008 (when it started gaining popularity). I believe the USDA approved it in 2004 (+/-). Grocery-store meat that comes pre-packaged with the tight plastic seal has been gassed.
Ugh I agree! The produce and meat at the Walmart here are really gross. I will price-match other items there, but not either if these two things.
I agree. I’ve only ever seen terrible looking produce at any Walmart stores I’ve ever been in……though that’s only one or two stores, as I refuse to support Walmart and go there maybe once every 18 months to 2 years.
I have tried price matching twice, once for a toy and once for groceries. In both cases it was an awful experience! People at the registers and at the management level were clueless about the policy, the cheat sheet they had said that they had to see and keep the ad, and they wouldn’t honor anything from publix ads because “they do their sales differently”, even though it wasn’t a BOGO item. Even if it cost me more I would shop at publix over wal-mart because of the fabulous customer service. (Once when my six year old was an infant I shopped and realized that I had forgotten my wallet at checkout, right when she started screaming her head off. The manager allowed me to take the groceries and come back later. I told him I could be back in 20 minutes and he told me to let katelyn have her nap and come back later that afternoon.) Quality, customer service and variety all make me choose publix, and by couponing and stockpiling I honestly don’t think I spend more.
Now THAT’s service!
I put post-it notes on each of my price match items at walmart. They say “Bi-Lo, $1.50” or whatever the price is. With BOGOs, I often go ahead and divide the price by two for the post-it, so if I only want one, it doesn’t get confusing.
So far, I’ve not had any troubles and the cashiers have fallen in love with me for doing it that way. They’ve all said that if more people would do the post-it notes, they wouldn’t care so much to price match items. <3
Great idea!! Much easier than what I have been doing, which is putting all my price match items at the end of my order and going through them one at a time with the cashier. Thanks for the tip!!
Here in Canada, I price match at No Frills or RCSS and use my PC card for the points. That way I get the best prices and free groceries!
My biggest issue with price-matching is that it’s great for people buying name brands or produce, but if you’re wanting a great deal on a store brand item forget it. Since Walmart doesn’t carry Food Club (United) or ShurFine (Lowe’s), I can’t get the same thing in Great Value even if it’s the same size, same product. Since a lot of what I buy is these store brands, price matching doesn’t help. Shame that.
My Walmart allows me to pick the Great Value Brand to match the Kroger brand that is on sale- not sure if that is regional or not. I live in Mississippi.
I tried this once at my Walmart, then they wouldn’t let me use a coupon on the item. Said their policy is they can’t use coupons on items they price match. Has anyone else had this happen, or do you think they made up their own policy? I never tried it again, because it’s cheaper for me to shop the sales at my local supermarket and use coupons there which they double up to a dollar.
I had a store manager working the register say that to me once. I told him we could cancel the items from my order and I could call corporate and ask them about using coupons on a price match. He said never mind, price matched and used the coupons. That was the first and last time I heard that!
Their policy states that coupons can be used on price matched items. I’ve never had a problem doing this.
I was told this once too and I went straight to customer service and asked them and I was told that yes, you can use a coupon when you price match!! I am with you and think they like to make up their own policy some times!
I don’t understand why some Walmart employees just make stuff up! There are certain cashiers that I just won’t go to because they have made up their own policies. You may just want to try another cashier.
Ad matching a BOGO free at Walmart actually costs me more money and time than if I just went to the store selling the item. Say the item is salad dressing 2.99 by one get one free at store X and walmart sells the same item for 2.79. Walmart will scan the first bottle at 2.79 and then hand enter the second bottle for the 20 cent difference. Also, you can only use up to 2 Man Qs on the salad dressing where as you could use up to 4 Qs (2 store and 2 Man) if your store stacks coupons. And I’ve also noticed that some times the store I shop charges less than what the ‘up to savings’ price is listed in their ad. So those two bottle of salad dressing at walmart probably cost me about $1.12 a bottle (normally have a .75 off 2 coupon) where as my regular grocery store was .62 cents a bottle (.75 off 2 Q and 1 store Q for .50 and 1 Competitor Q for .50) and I wasn’t treated like a criminal for using all my coupons either 🙂 And if you live in FL, you have to take both items because you get charged full price for the first and the second will ring up free.
I’ve had a similar experience with price matching BOGO deals from Publix at Walmart. It ends up being more of a hassle at Walmart, and always took a lot of extra time. Now I just stick with Publix.
My Walmart often won’t match BOGO free deals unless the deal states the actual price of the “buy one” item. Depending on the cashier sometimes they will adjust the price of the item to half the cost on both of them, but it just depends on who is ringing it up!
That is the only way my walmart will price match a BOGO, it has to state in the ad what the savings is. I suggested ringing it up that way before, half price for each one but she said it was easier to ring up the one full price and then figure out the difference for the second……who am I to argue! lol
If it was a bogo on salad dressing for $2.99, I’d just tell them it was $1.50 each. Simple. Easy. Done.
LOVE the price matching option. However, I would strongly suggest bringing the ad every time. The cashiers need to check the date of the ad & item. Love to do this with ALdi ad & produce. My Aldi’s has bad produce, but love the prices!
At my Walmart I just tell them the price at which store and they honor it. I don’t even bring in the ads. I’ve only had one cashier check one item on an ad they had on hand. Usually they don’t even ask what store I’m matching from. Although maybe that’s because I shop at 9:30 pm and they don’t care by that time of night.
I just did this two days ago. Cashier said he wouldn’t price match since I didn’t have the ads. I told him, no, Walmart’s policy is you don’t need the ads. He wouldn’t do it and called a supervisor over. While we were waiting for the supervisor, I noticed the sign the hangs at every register about price matching. First thing on the sign simply stated “customer does not need to bring in ad”. I got my way. I appologized for being a stickler, but when the government doesn’t pay for my food, I do everything I need to do to get the prices down!
I absolutely LOVE price matching…I save $50-75 on meat and produce alone. I do this 2-3 x’s per month especially when Kroger or CVS does not have that great of deals. I also troll the clearance sections and match coupons to get items cheap or free!!!
This is something I most definitely want to try but to be honest where I live if I were to use coupons and then do price-matching at the same time I’m afraid I’d get some evil-eye looks. So mostly I just use coupons at our Walmart, which is challenging enough. 🙂 Our store is not staffed very well, so the lines are always busy.
Does the item have to be exactly the same weight, brand, etc.?
Yes, it needs to be exactly the same. Some stores are more strict about it than others; for example, some won’t price match produce that isn’t the same brand, but some will.
Lyn, I had to email you because of your name! I never see another “Lyn” with just one N!! My name is actually Mary Lyn …. but I have always gone by Lyn. Have a great day!
At my Walmart I have found they will price match another store brand for Walmart brand, too. And they will price match produce and meat without being too picky about brand.
I’ve recently starting price matching at Wal-Mart rather than running in to a store for one or two things. It’s much easier! Thanks for the tip.
I always price match at target and then stack those deals with the target.com coupons. I refuse to hop stores, price matching is the best!!
I do this quite often as well. Stacking Target coupons with manufacturer coupons with a price match always makes me happy 🙂
Here’s a question… do you have to bring the ad to the service desk or will the regular cashier handle it? Thanks! I’ve been meaning to try it at my Super Target.
the regular cashier can definitely handle it. I know Target requires the ad (they send it to the cash office like a coupon) which is different than Walmart, but I just prefer Target over Walmart anyway.
CORRECTION: well, I should have checked with my Target employee husband first. . . I guess you do have to go up to the service desk. sorry!! (I always check out up there anyway so I have never thought about it.)
At my Target, you have to have the ad and you have to go to the Service Desk. They won’t match “clubcard deals” either.
I price match every week. I sit down with our local grocery ads at my son’s baseball practice on Wednesday. Make out my grocery wish list with all the ads prices and which store I am comping. Then on Friday when I am finalizing up my shopping list for Saturday shopping I can tune the list according to what I need in the house.
The price matching takes me about 30min total for the 8stores that I match. Then the shopping list on Friday takes me about 15min.
I spend about 30min in the store with one of my sons and we buy everything we need on sale. I only cook from my freezer/pantry and meal plan for the month. So what I am buying this week (except produce) will be ate next month.
I do shop every week in order to cash in on the deals. And use my coupons to the fullest every month.
But I only go to Wal-Mart every week. I do go to one other grocery store once a month because I buy bottled water for my husband for work. (He is OTR driver and refilling bottles doens’t work for him). And I buy enough of the water for the month.
If you have a Sams membership water is always cheaper there. Depending on how many case of water you buy a year it could pay for the membership.
We buy our bottled water at Sam’s too. Much cheaper!
I love price matching at Walmart. Mostly all produce. It really helps since we spend at least $75 for produce a week for our family.