FYI - RCSS changing price match policy

[missmaggs]

Well walmart in the same plaza as my RCSS price matches Ontario wide. I only go to RCSS for berries and their pc blue label brand items. Not a huge impact to me I guess.

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[Pointsman]

you know, it sure would be helpful if folks would indicate their City and Province on their Profile, to make threads like this one, and many others for that matter, much more informative and useful. You'd still be anonymous, if that's your desire.

In this case, web3 does indicate their location, and being Strathroy, I suspect the reason for this new restrictive pm policy at the local RCSS is because it has more of a 'captive shopper' situation vs mine for example. Without the key info provided ... (small town) Strathroy ... we wouldn't have a clue, why RCSS is making this change.

Here in Kitchener, ON every major, and many minor grocery retail outlets eg. Giant Tiger, are just minutes from each other by car. Competition is fierce, so PM'ing tends to be more open and less restrictive, at least that's been my experience.

Anyway, IMHO, it helps the reader and those who wish to comment, if folks indicate their general location.

[Anna Michele]

In this case, web3 does indicate their location, and being Strathroy, I suspect the reason for this new restrictive pm policy at the local RCSS is because it has more of a 'captive shopper' situation vs mine for example. Without the key info provided ... (small town) Strathroy ... we wouldn't have a clue, why RCSS is making this change.

Here in Kitchener, ON every major, and many minor grocery retail outlets eg. Giant Tiger, are just minutes from each other by car. Competition is fierce, so PM'ing tends to be more open and less restrictive, at least that's been my experience.

I hope it is just the small towns as I'm in a big city but we will see there seem to be many changes happening lately

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[torontogal12]

that's awful news. I wonder if they're doing this because there is so little competition in your town so they essentially can say they'll only price match stores in the same neighbourhood. I don't think they could get away with that in an area where there's 5 different stores in a 10 minute drive.

[samm07]

Hmm my RCSS is about 25 minutes out of my way (different town) we have everything else here. So I ONLY go there because I can price match and get points. I definitely won't be making even my 1 trip every 1-2 months now if this is the case.


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[samm07]

I was literally planning a trip today! Lmao 😂


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[scouponer]

Well web3 and others in strathroy are probably pming stores not in strathroy which is why the list for her store is so restrictive. At my London store today the sign was up as well but our list is longer. Pretty much will pm every major grocery store so that is good but won't pm sdm or giant tiger or Canadian tire or the Chinese grocery stores . So not too bad but will miss the occasional cheap item from Chinese stores ie celery and cucumber. But based on fact that no frills in London won't pm anything...London stores only I am happy that they aren't taking it away totally so I can live with it. The limit of 4 will only be a problem if it is a non perishable staple and I have a PC plus offer...then it will suck.

[sweet sparrow]

you know, it sure would be helpful if folks would indicate their City and Province on their Profile, to make threads like this one, and many others for that matter, much more informative and useful. You'd still be anonymous, if that's your desire.

In this case, web3 does indicate their location, and being Strathroy, I suspect the reason for this new restrictive pm policy at the local RCSS is because it has more of a 'captive shopper' situation vs mine for example. Without the key info provided ... (small town) Strathroy ... we wouldn't have a clue, why RCSS is making this change.

Here in Kitchener, ON every major, and many minor grocery retail outlets eg. Giant Tiger, are just minutes from each other by car. Competition is fierce, so PM'ing tends to be more open and less restrictive, at least that's been my experience.

Anyway, IMHO, it helps the reader and those who wish to comment, if folks indicate their general location.

I'm in the GTA, where there are many, many stores within 10 - 15 minutes of each other. However, the policy was verbal and I didn't see it posted anywhere.

I have heard that the one I visit is the training store for the manager for many stores in the GTA, sadly.

[Anna Michele]

Well web3 and others in strathroy are probably pming stores not in strathroy which is why the list for her store is so restrictive. At my London store today the sign was up as well but our list is longer. Pretty much will pm every major grocery store so that is good but won't pm sdm or giant tiger or Canadian tire or the Chinese grocery stores . So not too bad but will miss the occasional cheap item from Chinese stores ie celery and cucumber. But based on fact that no frills in London won't pm anything...London stores only I am happy that they aren't taking it away totally so I can live with it. The limit of 4 will only be a problem if it is a non perishable staple and I have a PC plus offer...then it will suck.

That is an unfair assumption. I think it has more to do with the stores that are in x-radius

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[IthinkIcan]

I feel all these stores got us used to price matching and it started to hurt their bottom lines so now one by one they are tightening their belts, and if all of them unanimously stop the practice then as consumers we have no say anyways.

[bhlombardy]

I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud, nor am I criticizing anyone here who DOES price match their grocery order -- but hear me out as playing devil's advocate for a moment...

Have you ever stood in a line with a cart full of groceries, while someone ahead of you is having the cashier run through their list of purchases to price match 15 items... confirming that each one is the same as the ad they brought in from the competitor? That's frustrating as hell... and customers that are held up behind those people tend to complain about the hold up... if not to the cashier, then to customer service or even the store management.

And believe it or not, those complaints get raised as to how to offer a better customer experience... and if the complaint is "it takes too long to wait behind people who price match" ... then limiting the opportunity to price match becomes a fair compromise to that complaint.

[IthinkIcan]

Totally agree, I have noticed some lanes with the notice that "No price matching in this lane" , every coin has two sides, those of us who pm, whether regularly or occasionally will probably wait patiently, but most other folks get super irritated.

[bhlombardy]

Follow up to my previous post:

I'm going to suggest that these changes have less to do with frustrating other customers than they do about being fair...

The list:
I dont dispute Superstore for only matching major competitor ads. The smaller mom & pop stores and one-to-two-of's are not a threat to their business and their pricing strategies do not adhere to the same rules as the major stores. so their major competitors are much more valid for comparison. (although I had a chuckle at the OP's photo that RCSS will price match "No Frills" -- I know their prices are different, but they're both Loblaw stores.)

The Proximity factor:
Pricing on grocery items is VERY dependent on location. I can easily attest to this as someone who frequently travels for work around New Brunswick. Produce for certain... but even shopping at the Superstore in 4 or 5 different locations and seeing a different price on the same box of cereal at all of them. -- and keep in mind this is the SAME brand of store that are about 50kms away (or less) from one other in either direction. Heck, I've even seen same brand stores in the same CITY be priced differently simply because they are in a different neighbourhood with a different target audience. This just is a mark on how pricing is affected regionally.

That being said, I can get behind why they might not want to price match a competitor who's nearest store is not logically within your grasp, and thus really not considered a "local area" store. A line/boundary has to be drawn somewhere or you'd have people in Oshawa, ON bringing in ads from Nanaimo BC to price match them... and for stores no one has ever heard of before. (eg: I've never heard of Safeway before I started frequenting this site)


Quantity limits:
Keep in mind that manufacturers pay incentives to specific retailers to have their product in highly visible and accessible areas of their stores. Sometimes these incentives are great enough (for a period) that the retailer who receives the incentive can offer a discount on that item in their ad. But not ALL retailers have the same incentive offered to them, or have accepted it. For example: If Heinz offers stores a huge incentive to pile a big display of ketchup in the entrance way to the store... Sobey's might take the incentive, Walmart might as well, where Superstore might not. (which explains why you often see the same items for sale in different stores the same weeks). So Walmart sets up a display and offers Heinz Ketchup for half price for a week...

Setting a price match limit prevents Superstore from taking such a huge hit on the item, should someone decide that the price-match is so good that they're going to clear them out of inventory, yet (other than for ketchup) they'd have no other reason to go to Walmart for groceries. Personally, I think a limit of 4 is fair... Besides do you REALLY need more than 4 bottles of Ketchup? Or more than 4 of anything for that matter? And if you really do NEED 5 or 6... isn't getting the discount on the first 4 decent enough?

I agree, certainly that the new policy isnt as flexible as it once was... but it's fair.
Heck, they could have stopped doing it all together.

[bhlombardy]

Strathroy Ontario.
bhlombardy- I price match because I only have a RCSS and a Walmart.
Frescho, NoFrills, Sobeys, Loblaws are all 30 min drive for me.
I price match 5+ different items each week with probably $20 or more savings each week. That adds up.
Also the time saving factor of price matching, even if all those stores were in my city, I would rather take a few mintues at the till (never had a supervisor called to price match) then drive to 4 different stores...

Sorry, I wasnt criticizing you for price-matching. I just never would have considered it because the Superstore and Sobey's are so close to one another here, I just give them my business when the items I want are on sale at either location. I live in a small community also (about half the population of Strathroy) and the nearest 'anything else' to me (Walmart, No Frills, etc) is at least 15 minutes away.

I didnt mean to say that I drive to both stores in one trip... nor suggesting you do either. I just watch the ads weekly, and when I know I'm getting low on a few items and I see those items for sale at one or the other, then I plan my trip to that store that week. If I dont get all of my items that I may be getting low on, well there's always next week -- and if the OTHER store has them on sale then, I'll go there for them. And if I run out of the item and I get desperate, well then I'll pay whatever it costs at the store I go to that week. I certainly wouldnt make a special trip to drive from RCSS to Sobey's just to save a dollar on a jar of peanut butter, let alone drive into the nearest city to Walmart for it... and nor suggesting anyone else do either.

BUT... I do like to acknowledge the store that put the item on sale by giving them my business. They made the effort to drop the price and to advertise it. The least I can do is show them that their efforts have worked.


All that being said, I prefer Sobey's over Superstore anyway... for a few reasons. The prices are comparable from week to week... it's a more intimate store, easier to navigate, and I prefer AirMiles rewards I get there there over PC Points. (AirMiles are more widely redeemable than just groceries)

Point is, we all choose to shop at a particular store for certain reasons: be it they have the overall best pricing... or because it's closest to home... or maybe we prefer their selection of items... or it's their loyalty or rewards program that attracts us... whatever it is, we CHOOSE to shop there. They are going to take whatever that reason is to their advantage. Expecting the prices from the stores we DIDNT choose at the store we DID choose is kind of like wanting your cake and eating it too. (and not saying it's a bad thing to want, but it shouldnt be taken for granted) So the fact that RCSS is willing to do it all is them letting you eat your cake... at least some of it.

That's just my 2 cents.

[samm07]

I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud, nor am I criticizing anyone here who DOES price match their grocery order -- but hear me out as playing devil's advocate for a moment...

Have you ever stood in a line with a cart full of groceries, while someone ahead of you is having the cashier run through their list of purchases to price match 15 items... confirming that each one is the same as the ad they brought in from the competitor? That's frustrating as hell... and customers that are held up behind those people tend to complain about the hold up... if not to the cashier, then to customer service or even the store management.

And believe it or not, those complaints get raised as to how to offer a better customer experience... and if the complaint is "it takes too long to wait behind people who price match" ... then limiting the opportunity to price match becomes a fair compromise to that complaint.

I'd totally disagree. I'm extremely organized with my price matching. And I PM over half my order almost weekly. I'd dare to say I'm significantly QUICKER the joe blow paying full price for their order...

I put the stor a regular priced items first as they finish scanning the person ahead. Then I load up IN ORDER based on my app. So I'm just scrolling for the cashier not searching. My coupons sit on top of the product. I let them know where my price matching starts. I make sure I know the price per kg if it's fruit or veg.

If I take longer (which is argue I don't in any way) it's MAYBE an extra 45 seconds? My till is totally organized and ready before The cashier even starts ringing things through.

So id say, a) organize yourselves if you plan on having a big price matches order, and b) people who are grumpy can go shop at a store that doesn't price match? If they don't care about how much they are spending on groceries why shop at a "cheap" grocery store?

I get what you're saying. But I'm so effing sick of people whining about how long price matching takes. Even the most unorganized price marcher isn't taking more then an extra 3-4 minutes? Slow the hell down in life like honestly lol. Or don't shop on busy days? There are plenty of opportunities to shop even for those who work. I work 12 hour shifts I shop at 8pm and miss bedtime for my kids to avoid the hustle and bustle. If you go to the store onfriday/Saturday/Sunday or between 3-6 on a weekday prepare for lines? Lol