# Petsmart Price Matching!!!



## dharris (Nov 23, 2005)

Are you sure, they will price match? I have asked if at one time or another, and have been told no by the store that they cannot meet their online store price. Now this was some time ago, things may have changed.


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## eds (Feb 12, 2003)

PetSmart's policies seem to vary widely from store to store, and even among various managers at a particular store.

*esarkipato*, I'm curious - how do you personally justify telling them the incorrect price?
While I will always aggressively pursue a deal, I don't think I would be comfortable with that.


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## jgc (Jul 6, 2005)

I had them pricematch their web on a 250 HOT from $90 to $50


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

*eds*, I only realize the price of thier online heater was 17.99 this morning, when I posted.

Last night before I went to the store I was shopping around online, and visited who knows how many stores including Ebay. When I approached the cashier/manager with my question, I was just suprised when he asked me how much it was ~ "you're asking me?" I thought! I blurted out the price I thought I remembered, and he accepted that blindly!

I actually do feel pretty bad about scamming petsmart for, what, like $4! I guess I have a good conscience. But seriously, with that markup (66%!), corporate petsmart is scamming plenty of innocent fishkeepers!

So eds, I guess my personal justification is forgetfulness! Not to mention the ignorance of a Petsmart store manager.

The point of my thread is to raise the awareness of anyone who was not previously . . . er . . . altogether . . . ahem . . . aware!


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## eds (Feb 12, 2003)

That's cool.
I can well imagine being in the same position myself, thinking _"Why, heck, I might as well have said they were giving them away free!"_ 

I'm sorry that I mistakenly interpreted your OP as suggesting that you knew the correct price and intentionally told them an incorrect and lower price.
I'm glad to hear that is not what happened. 

Like I said, I'm as aggressive as anyone in pursuing a bargain and taking advantage of businesses' screw-ups. 
But the way I incorrectly interpreted your post seemed to me to fall somewhere on the slope towards switching packaging and pricetags, and worse.

And - even worse than doing it (IMO) would be coming into a message board and bragging about it!
Not quite consistent with the standards of this joint.

Many folks do not appreciate how often the marked sticker price can be viewed merely as a starting point for negotiation.
Tho for me it generally needs to be a relatively big ticket item for the haggling to be worth my while.
But - as my dad used to say, _"There's no harm in asking, so long as you are willing to accept 'No' for an answer."_

If I were going into a PetSmart for anything other than a minor spur-of-the moment purchase, I'd be sure I had their on-line printouts as well as their competitors.
No harm in asking!


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## beviking (Aug 2, 2005)

I agree with you eds. Glad to hear your side of it esarkipato. I too could see myself not remembering the price. But then, I'd be one to go back and give them the $4 :tongue: Call me stupid:icon_roll 

-be


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## whitepine (Apr 13, 2004)

I have taken advantage of there price matching more than once. It is definitely ymmv to each store/manager. Most will match there online prices though... not always competitors. They will some times even let you use competitors coupons, but not both.

Check out their return policy as well.... this to is ymmv.

Cheers, Whitepine


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

This has been discussed a lot within the past year...and eds is right, a lot of managers are becoming aware and will only price match Petsmart's website prices...which are sometimes cheaper. A while back I got 6 bags of flouorite for $9.99 each (petsolutions.com price a year ago).


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Last week I think it was, I decided I probably needed to replace my AP master test kit since it was well over a year old. _Just _as I was walking out the door, I said to myself --- "Hmmm, I better check the PetsMart online price." Did so, and printed it out showing the online $13.49 pricetag. Got to the store and they wanted $27.95 for the kit :eek5: ?!? I'd never tried price-matching before, so I verified with the cashier who said "...As long as you've got a printout," when I checked out. The manager who came to the register to do the price-match seemed really surprised at the price difference and in fact said "Half-price? That's insane!" Maybe. But I sure as heck wasn't going to buy a kit for $27.95 when I could order it online at umpteen different places for about $14.00. The savings on that one item alone would pay for shipping.

Interestingly enough, when I dropped by a couple of days later to pick up some cat-food, there didn't seem to be any AP kits on the shelf. Think they had a run on them  ?


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## krazykidd86 (Jul 27, 2005)

I pricematch all the time at Petsmart. Sometimes the manager will reject me. But I go in at a different time later during the day, or next day and get another one to do the match. I know which one will and which one won't. Just keep going, and keep trying. It never hurts.

BTW Ernie, Rena Cal Excel Heater stinks. I would return it and go price match a visitherm stealth heater. You'll get stable constant temp with a visitherm, and major flux with the rena. 

Best of Luck! roud:

the KK


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

RATS! thx for the advice KK, I've noticed already some problems with the, shall we say, "adjustability" of the RENA. 

I wonder if they will let me return it after being in the tank for a day . . . maybe if I give them back their $4 LOL

EDIT: now that I look at the visitherm online, I remember they didn't have any in stock. I guess I could just pay the shipping . . .


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## eds (Feb 12, 2003)

esarkipato said:


> I wonder if they will let me return it after being in the tank for a day . . . maybe if I give them back their $4 LOL


No, man. What you have to do is say you forgot your receipt, and return it for $30!


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## Wilder (Jan 21, 2006)

esarkipato said:


> EDIT: now that I look at the visitherm online, I remember they didn't have any in stock. I guess I could just pay the shipping . . .


 Foster and Smith has the visitherm stealth heaters on sale... mine just came today.  I had to order some other things anyway, so even with paying for shipping it's not a bad price in the end. Locally the stealth heaters start at $32.

Though darn, if I had known about the pricematching sooner... seems odd that they have the online price so much cheaper than in-store. Definitely a handy thing to know for the future!


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## Overfloater (Jan 12, 2004)

I had Petsmart price match an XP3. It was $90 on their website and $170 in the store! They said "no problem, just print out the webpage and bring it in." Even the manager who had to provide the autohrization to allow the discount to go through, seemed surprised it was so cheap on their website.


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## vandyll (Feb 3, 2006)

I've found the best way to get the best price out of them is to work there, especially in the aquatics/specialty section.

I have been working there part time for about 4 months now, and have got some great things from there. Like when they decided to clean out the store use room, and let us have things that they were going to throw away for small donations to their charity. We got a few 20G long tanks, some 15G talls, and 29G longs for just under $5 each.

As far as price matching, I've never really looked into it, I generally leave that for the cashiers and managers. But I may need to soon, as I found a place nearby that sells some of the items I need for about 20% cheaper than we do.


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

Hmm...I stopped going to petsmart when they started requiring a card to get sale prices. Ernie, if you feel guilty, just consider your accidental discount to be payback for me being overcharged on catfood!

By the way, which petsmart location was so nice? I'm in MI too...


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

It was the one in Grand rapids, on 28th & (edit) East Paris next to CompUSA. Actually, he was REALLY nice about it, I think he was trying to keep me hush-hush!


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## frloplady (Jan 7, 2006)

beviking said:


> I agree with you eds. Glad to hear your side of it esarkipato. I too could see myself not remembering the price. But then, I'd be one to go back and give them the $4 :tongue: Call me stupid:icon_roll
> 
> -be


Nope honest and integrity go into that. Nothing stupid about it. I respect it.


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