The Canadian Price Matching Cheat Sheet
By Simon Hung
June 23, 2016Whether you’re buying a new television or National Treasure on DVD, there are two important questions every shopper should ask themselves before making a purchase -- is it posted on RFD and is it cheaper anywhere else?
Price comparisons are a must when shopping and price matching has become ubiquitous for many savvy shoppers. To help you find the best deals, we've created this handy cheat sheet so you can see the price matching policies of over 40 stores in Canada at a glance.
While every store will have their own price matching guidelines, there are a few general rules across all stores.
- Products must be the same model, in stock and sold by a Canadian retailer
- If a store price matches Amazon.ca, the product must be sold and shipped directly by Amazon
- Limited-time or limited-quantity promotions usually aren't eligible
- Major holiday sales like Boxing Day or Black Friday are usually excluded
- Most stores don't price match wholesale stores like Costco
Before you embark on your price matching journey, take a look at the table below to see which stores beat or match competitor pricing and read our tips on how to do it effectively.
Store | Beat | Match | YMMV | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 Audio Video | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
adidas | ✔ | One-time price adjustment up to 14 days after purchase. | ||
Amazon.ca | ✔ | No price matching as of 2017, but some have had success via Live Chat. | ||
Babies R Us | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Bed Bath & Beyond | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Best Buy | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 10% of the difference. | ||
Canada Computers | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Canadian Tire | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing at the store's discretion. | ||
Dell | ✔ | No official policy, but some have had success PMing via Live Chat. | ||
FreshCo | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by $0.01. | ||
eBay.ca | ✔ | Will match with Amazon.ca, Best Buy or Walmart. | ||
Henry's | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Home Depot | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 10%. | ||
Home Hardware | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Hudson's Bay | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
IKEA | ✔ | Price protection up to 45 days after purchase. Some have had success PMing product prices from other stores. | ||
Kitchen Stuff Plus | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 10% of the difference, excluding appliances and Henckels merchandise. | ||
Lenovo | ✔ | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by $20.00, but only for Lenovo Affinity members. | |
Linen Chest | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 10% of the difference. | ||
London Drugs | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Lowes | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 10%. | ||
MEC | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing.1 | ||
Memory Express | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 10% of the difference. | ||
National Sports | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
NCIX | ✔ | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing only after approval at their discretion. | |
Newegg.ca | ✔ | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing on select items and issue the difference on store credit after approval. | |
No Frills | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing, up to a maximum of four per item. | ||
PartSource | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
PeaveyMart | ✔ | Limited-time price-matching promotions are occasionally held. | ||
PetSmart | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
PetValu | ✔ | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing at the store’s discretion.2 | |
Real Canadian Superstore | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing.3 | ||
Reebok | ✔ | Price protection up to 14 days after purchase. | ||
Rona | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 10% of the difference. | ||
Sears | ✔ | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 10% of the difference for appliances or mattresses only; will match otherwise. | |
Sport Chek | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing, in-store only. | ||
Staples | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
The Brick | ✔ | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing on select products; will match otherwise. | |
The Source | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Town Shoes | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Toys R Us | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Walmart | ✔ | Will match competitor pricing. | ||
Visions Electronics | ✔ | Will beat competitor pricing by 15% of the difference. |
Showing 23 Most Recent Comments
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Home Depot: will price match Amazon and other online retailers. Will beat local retail pricing by 10% for in-stock items with exactly matching model numbers. Exclusions: special buys, clearance, wholesalers.
Lowes: same as Home Depot
Reno Depot: same as Home Depot
Rona: Will beat local retail (within 25km radius) pricing by 10% for in-stock items with exactly matching model numbers. Exclusions: special buys, clearance, wholesalers. Does NOT appear to PM online retailers anymore (e.g., Amazon).
For example CT's pricematch/beat doesn't apply on online store. The times I've tried, the managers stated they would only price match local stores (walmart, home depot). Furthermore, YYMV as site states it's price match guarantee is subject to store participation, essentially giving CT managers an out if they choose to deny PM
-thanks OP
Almost all the stores listed here have caveats and exceptions. Don't rely on this sheet if you think it's a guideline for price matching, because you'll soon find it isn't.. One giant YMMV is what truly defines price matching..