The Holiday Hack That Saves Me $$$ Every Gifting Season

You need to know one thing about me: I thrive during gift-giving season. I keep a running list in my Notes app all year with gift ideas for all my friends and family, and as soon as sale alerts start hitting my inbox in early November, I start shopping. Up until a few years ago, I tucked gifts away in my closet, checked that person off my list, and went on my merry way. It felt great to have my shopping done early until I realized I was leaving money on the table by not utilizing price match guarantee policies.

Getting started early is a great strategy, but sometimes the best deals don’t happen until later in the season. Before, I would curse myself for not waiting to buy a gift after I saw it go on a better deal, but now, I walk my happy butt over to customer service and kindly ask for them to price-match it. Maybe you’re thinking this makes me a Karen, but price matching is guaranteed by most retailers. If you’re not taking advantage of it, you’re spending more than you have to, and I’ll be damned if I do that in this economy. So, here’s everything you need to know about taking advantage of price match guarantees during the holidays.

How do price matches work?

While every retailer has their own terms for price matching, the idea is pretty basic: If an item goes on sale for less than what you originally paid, you can request the difference back within a certain period of time. During the holiday season, most retailers offer an extended window knowing that many shoppers start early. For example, Target offers price match guarantees within a 14-day window all year round, but during the holidays, their window runs from November 7-December 24. Sales are changing constantly during that time!

What’s more, you can often take advantage of price match guarantees between retailers. So, if you bought an item at Target and then it goes on sale at Walmart, you can ask for a price match within Target’s allotted window. Sure, you could always return the Target one and buy the same thing at Walmart, but if you’ve already gifted it to someone, you’re out of luck. This solves that problem. Most people think about price-matching before they purchase something (like if the item you want to buy is on a better sale somewhere else), but this is how to get the best deal after the fact too.

“If you’re not taking advantage of it, you’re spending more than you have to, and I’ll be damned if I do that in this economy.”

Who offers price matching?

Price match guarantees are widely available and pretty straightforward, especially this time of year, but even with that said, not every single retailer offers it. And the ones that do have their own guidelines and limitations—reasonably so. Target has the most impressive guarantee during the holidays (so much so that they advertise their extended window), but stores like Nordstrom, Abercrombie, J.Crew, Gap, Kohl’s, Athleta, Apple, and more offer one too. Some shocking stores that don’t offer it at all? You’re looking at Amazon, Walmart, and William Sonoma.

Many of us like to shop at small businesses this time of year, and while they usually run fewer site-wide sales than big box stores, it’s worth checking their website or asking them directly if they offer price adjustments.

How do I ask for a price adjustment?

Besides being kind, patient, and saying please, there’s not much to it. Simply gather your supporting documents (a.k.a your proof of purchase and the eligible details of the sale you would like to match) and follow the store’s online or in-store process. This could look like heading to the customer service desk or sending a message through their online chat feature. From there, the retailer will let you know what, if anything, they need from you next to make the adjustment, and voila! Money is back in your pocket to support the rest of your holiday shopping.