So after T-dinner today, I was helping to set up a wireless home network (such is the life of a computer guy) and we decided to move one of the computers well away from the the router (downstairs, the router is upstairs). What's open on T-Day? Walmart, Kmart. So Kmart doesn't have much in the way of computer accessories. We check out Walmart's web page and see that they have a Belkin FSD7050 Wireless USB adapter for $29.98 that is "also available in many stores". There happens to be a Walmart near here and we high-tail it down there. Lo and behold! On the shelf we find the very thing we're looking for: A shiny new Belkin FSD7050. Yeah! Except that the marked price is not $29.98 as we expected from the web site, but $34.76.
"So what's up with that?" we ask a friendly walmart employee. She doesn't know, and phones her manager who informs her that they don't do price matching with web sites. "But it's walmart's web site!" I tell her. She relays this to the manager, still on the phone, and his response is "so order it on line then."
Well, that's ridiculous, I think. "What about walmart's ship-to-store program?" I ask. "Couldn't we order it on line here," (using Walmart's own order-on-line terminal that they have so conveniently placed in the electronics department) "then have it shipped to this store, then just take the one we have here now?" The clerk relayed this to her manager, who reiterated "we don't do price matching with web sites".
At this point I'm becoming frustrated. "If I order it on line, I probably won't order it from Walmart," I tell the clerk. "But I think there's something dishonest going on here. See here," and I pointed at text on the web page. "It says 'also in many stores' and it does happen to be in your store. It doesn't say anything about paying an extra $5 for in-store pickup."
The clerk agreed with me, and again spoke with her manager. His response this time was: "OK. But one time only."
So what's up with walmart? I think they probably lowered the price on the web page and didn't tell the stores, or perhaps there's a delay between the web page price adjustment and the store price adjustment to give the store time to relabel shelving. In any case, the manager's actions struck me as devious. Buyer beware!
"So what's up with that?" we ask a friendly walmart employee. She doesn't know, and phones her manager who informs her that they don't do price matching with web sites. "But it's walmart's web site!" I tell her. She relays this to the manager, still on the phone, and his response is "so order it on line then."
Well, that's ridiculous, I think. "What about walmart's ship-to-store program?" I ask. "Couldn't we order it on line here," (using Walmart's own order-on-line terminal that they have so conveniently placed in the electronics department) "then have it shipped to this store, then just take the one we have here now?" The clerk relayed this to her manager, who reiterated "we don't do price matching with web sites".
At this point I'm becoming frustrated. "If I order it on line, I probably won't order it from Walmart," I tell the clerk. "But I think there's something dishonest going on here. See here," and I pointed at text on the web page. "It says 'also in many stores' and it does happen to be in your store. It doesn't say anything about paying an extra $5 for in-store pickup."
The clerk agreed with me, and again spoke with her manager. His response this time was: "OK. But one time only."
So what's up with walmart? I think they probably lowered the price on the web page and didn't tell the stores, or perhaps there's a delay between the web page price adjustment and the store price adjustment to give the store time to relabel shelving. In any case, the manager's actions struck me as devious. Buyer beware!
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