Looking to grab Costco deals without shelling out the $60 per year membership fee? Claiming a price match at a few popular retailers could be your new favorite strategy.
Plenty of other stores will match Costco's in-store prices and Costco online deals, but the process is not as straightforward as it sounds. To get other stores to price match Costco, you've got to match the items exactly — they have to be the same brand, size, and quantity. There may be some changes to the policies during the holidays, too, when you see the unbeatable Costco Black Friday deals come out.
And while you shouldn't bother asking Costco to price match competitors (they don't), definitely do study the Costco price adjustment policy that applies to items you bought in the last 30 days.
For more smart shopping tips and savings hacks, download the KCL app or text HACKS to 57299.
Who price matches Costco?
Best Buy
Best Buy will price match Costco as long as it's the price available to anyone — not just members. (The members-only Costco deals are typically marked as such.)
Just bring in the Costco ad with the lower price, or show an associate the proof of the lower price on Costco’s website. You can also use the Best Buy online chat bot to request a price match.
Keep in mind that the Best Buy associate may call Costco to confirm the lower price.
KCL TIP: I can vouch that online customer service reps at stores like Best Buy are usually more than happy to accommodate a price match request if it means keeping your business. I had this happen with a TV deal I saw at Costco; even though the SKUs were slightly different, I chatted with Best Buy's online customer service reps about it, and they ended up giving me the Costco price — saving me about $100 in the end!
Dyson
If you plan to purchase a Dyson product directly from their website, you have the option to price match them with Costco. To start the price match, you have three options:
Visit the Dyson price match page
Use the Dyson chat box
Call Dyson Customer Service at 1-866-693-9766
GNC
Although there aren't many items that overlap between GNC and Costco, if you do happen to find an item that both stores sell, GNC will price match it. Just remember that it has to be an identical, in-stock item. You'll need to show the website, ad, printout, or a photo of the lower price to a GNC associate for validation.
You can also call GNC or chat with their customer service team. Have the website, ad, or photo ready to send to the representative. For online price matches, the price match includes the item's shipping costs, and the item will need to be in stock and available to ship from Costco.
JCPenney
JCPenney does offer price matching with Costco, as long as the price is available to all shoppers, not just Costco members. This policy applies to both in-store and online prices from Costco.
What's even better is JCPenney's return policy, which allows you to claim a price match after you've already made a purchase. If you find a cheaper price for the same item at another store within 14 days, JCPenney will give you a partial refund for the difference!
KCL TIP: You can also stack JCPenney coupons on top of a price match for even bigger savings.
Kohls
Kohl's will price match Costco's in-store prices for certain brands when you show a Costco ad in-store.
However, Kohl's doesn't match any online prices in-store, so that means they won't match Costco.com prices. In fact, Kohls.com won't price match Costco at all, but you can match other non-wholesaler competitors' websites.
PetSmart
PetSmart offers price matching with Costco, but you can't mix and match in-store and online prices. That means if you're shopping at a physical PetSmart store, you can only match prices from physical Costco stores. And if you're shopping online at PetSmart.com, you can only match prices from Costco.com.
Staples
Staples price matches all major retailers who have both physical and online storefronts, so that includes Costco. Just visit the customer service desk at Staples or ask any associate for a price match.
But here's the kicker — not only will Staples match Costco's prices, but they also will price adjust purchases made within the last 14 days and beat the competitor's price by 10%. So if you can find a lower price on the same item from Costco, Staples will match their price and give you an extra 10% off your total.
Target
Target offers price matching with Costco, either at the time you make your purchase or for up to 14 days after the transaction.
You can ask for a price match at any regular checkout line. For online shopping, you can either call Target Guest Services at 1-800-591-3869 or chat with a Target representative on their website.
Tractor Supply Co.
Similar to GNC, you won't find too many similar items that are carried at both Tractor Supply and Costco. But if you do find one, know that Tractor Supply will match Costco’s online or in-store prices on any identical item, as long as its sold and shipped by Tractor Supply.
Which stores won’t price match Costco?
There are a few stores that won’t price match Costco specifically, even though they may price match other competitors. Here's a list of a few of those stores:
Amazon
Home Depot
Lowe’s
Office Depot
Petco
Sam’s Club
Walmart
KCL TIP: Surprised to see Walmart on this list? It's true — Walmart doesn't price match Costco (or any other store anymore).
Once you get the hang of claiming a Costco price match at other retailers (and understand the Costco price adjustment policy), you may stumble on some truly brag-worthy deals. And it's especially useful if you want to use a non-Visa credit card that Costco won't accept.
But the whole process takes a little persistence and investigative work on your part, as Costco sometimes (sneakily) carries unique items with SKUs that don't match items sold by competitors.
If you're thinking about springing for a Costco membership, check out our full Costco membership guide.
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