Target Competing with Amazon by Price-Matching

Posted Tuesday, January 8, 2013 in Customer Experience by Scott Jordan

I found this article interesting:

Target vows to match Amazon’s prices

Experts say other retailers may join bid to stamp out ‘showrooming’

"Target has Amazon in its crosshairs. Fed up that customers scan the store’s aisles with one eye on their smartphones, and often end up making purchases online for less — a practice known as showrooming — the big-box retailer Tuesday promised to match Amazon’s prices year round.

'We know that our guests often compare prices online,' Gregg Steinhafel, Target’s chairman, president and CEO said in a statement. If a customer buys a qualifying item at Target and then finds an identical item for less in the following week’s Target circular or within seven days on either Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com and Toysrus.com, Target will match the price."

By Quentin Fottrell

Good for them. Maybe not so good for Amazon, whose margins are razor-thin.

Fry's has had a match-Internet-pricing policy for a while now. It's saved me tons-- just scan the barcodes with Google's Shopper app. They'll meet the best price.

--S.

4 comments


  • pkerpan
    Pat Kerpan on January 8, 2013 at 2:24 p.m.

    And in a surprising (some might think) departure for me - when I shop at Amazon (or most places online) they should compute sales tax, charge me, carry the float and forward it on to my state every 2 weeks or so. This will make local and virtual more competitive and perhaps even more allied and aligned.

    Pat K-

  • pgibson
    Phil Gibson on January 8, 2013 at 5:44 p.m.

    I've been using ShopSavvy on Android.  I find it presents less promotional offers than the Google version.

    Phil G-

  • sjordan
    Scott Jordan on January 9, 2013 at 11:18 a.m.
    Just to bookend Pat's comments on sales taxes: I'm against them for internet and catalog sales, or at least against applying the same rate as for local salefronts: Internet/catalog sales involve little or no consumption of local services and resources.  The "little" part of that phrasing does leave the door open for some taxation, but I can't make a moral case for taxing at the same rate as a brick-and-mortar sale of the same goods.
     
    --S.
  • pgibson
    Phil Gibson on January 9, 2013 at 10:14 p.m.

    I can make the moral case.  We still need local employment and jobs.  The online stores do not need this inherent advantage.

    We have had long enough where the internet retailers have avoided sales taxes while their users continue to benefit from local resources.  Time for this to stop.

    Phil G.

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