BB's policy also makes more sense.

What if I find a lower price at another Best Buy store or on BestBuy.com?

If an item you purchased at Best Buy is advertised at a lower price at another Best Buy store in your local area or on BestBuy.com within 30 days of your original receipt purchase (14 days for select categories*, 60 days for HDTVs purchased from 6/3/07 through 9/29/07), we will refund you 100% of the price difference. Simply bring in your original Best Buy receipt to the customer service counter while that lower price is still in effect. Clearance items, open-box items or Web-exclusive offers advertised on BestBuy.com are not eligible for price matching.

It's hard enough to get BB to honor their actual policy. Getting them to go beyond it is highly YMMV.

airtommy said:BB's policy also makes more sense.

What if I find a lower price at another Best Buy store or on BestBuy.com?

If an item you purchased at Best Buy is advertised at a lower price at another Best Buy store in your local area or on BestBuy.com within 30 days of your original receipt purchase (14 days for select categories*, 60 days for HDTVs purchased from 6/3/07 through 9/29/07), we will refund you 100% of the price difference. Simply bring in your original Best Buy receipt to the customer service counter while that lower price is still in effect. Clearance items, open-box items or Web-exclusive offers advertised on BestBuy.com are not eligible for price matching.

It's hard enough to get BB to honor their actual policy. Getting them to go beyond it is highly YMMV.

That has not been my experience. I've gotten adjustments from them many times on clearance items. The very few times I got static about it I simply say I'd like to return it. At that point they've always given up and just done the adjustment.

we've been doing this for a few years now, it works exactly like the op says.

tomdc said:
Sorry

apology accepted. while this information is considered common knowledge to those of us with the slightest bit of intelligence, I knew it was bound to be broken down for the masses sooner or later. There are still plenty of other ways to get deals which haven't even been touched on, as well as new ways to get deals in the making. so your info hardly makes much of a dent into resellers' bottom line.

RapaciousEbayer said:we've been doing this for a few years now, it works exactly like the op says.
Exactly. In fact, I just carry the receipt to do a price adjustment, never been asked for the actual item.

Thanks for the info

So where can we check the Staples in-store inventory online?

tomdc said:On every hot deal there is complaining that when a member goes into BB the item has not yet been reduced to it's lowest clearance price or at Staples that the hot bargains sell out right after the store opens.

At BB once a item is tagged as clearance (discontinued) price reductions in increments are set. They usually go into effect at all stores nationally within 30 days but individual stores start marking them down through the series of increments. A few just go straight to the bottom price immediately. The important thing is to know this is coming, not that it's already happened. Once a store's price hits the final clearance price, which is about 90% off, the store employees buy them- (wouldn't you- most of these folks make about $7 per hour.)
BUT BB has a 30 day Price Guarantee policy which is very easy to get honored (price matches to other stores are not so easy at some stores).

Once you know a BB item is clearanced from FW or SD you usually also know what the final clearance price will be. Many stores will pricematch to other BB's in their district or region that already have the 90% off- many will not. It usually depends on the distance to the other BB and how many they have in stock. For example- Right now the My Book Premium 500 ( a network storage drive) has been clearanced. It's original BB price is around $350 or so. eBay price is $150. Most BB's have it for about $175 now. In the Maryland didtrict one store- Salisbury has it already down to $49. Stores around DC won't honor the price because Salisbury is 100 miles away, even tho they have several in stock for that price. But every BB nationally will be at the bottom price ($49 or lower) within the 30 days. The day the item hits that bottom price they will be bought by employees. Thus it is a blessing in disguise when you find a BB with stock at a higher price. Get the item, don't unwrap it so you can return it if neccessary, and certainly by the 29th day check back with them and get a very pleasant surprise- a refund of the difference to the final clearance price (you don't have to have the item with you- just the receipt). 30- Day BB Price Guarantee is much more important than price match at every store.

Staples doesn't have the same incremental clearance but often they have price leaders in ads that sell out fast. Through FW and SD you see these often a week before. They technically don't have price guarantee but have 30 return. Get what you want and after the ad is out return to a Staples and get a refund/repurchase- it's the same as a Price Guarantee. Must have the item with you unopened.

I've used this dozens of times- it's worked 100% but here's two recent examples:

At BB we've had a thread on for some 10 weeks about a $365 Bush tv stand clearanced out. Originally the lowest clearance price was $65 and most BB's didn't have it for that but most districts had at least one store where it was that and many people could get pricematches to that price. Many that couldn't complained a bunch on the threads but the smart ones bought and waited the 29 days. By day 29 the national BB clearance price had not only dropped to $65 but to $19.99 at every single BB! We all went in and got our refunds of the difference in 5 minutes. But members post 10 times a day that they can't find any instock for the $19.99. Previously they cried that their store wouldn't honor the clearance price while they were in stock. Guess what- a $365 stand for $19.99 lasts on the floor for maybe a minute IF the salesperson doesn't buy it which is the case 99% of the time.

Staples recently advertised the Western Digital external 400 GB drive for $50 after a $45 Staples Easy Rebate (they are). The rebate had a limit of 10, as most Staples rebates do. The ad was on sd and fw over a week ahead of time. I got the number I wanted on Tuesday and after Sunday went in with the unopened items and got return/repurchase refunds for the difference. Staples all sold out within 1 hour of opening on Sunday.

At Staples you can check inventory of items at each store online, but at BB you cannot on clearance items as they are discontinued. At BB you must go into a store and go to the department or customer service where they can easily check on their store computer for availability and price at every BB.

Sorry if I've given the eBay resellers secret out to the common folk but I hate to see all these disappointed members who drive all around tracking dowm deals, usually to be disappointed and waste a lot of gas.

thanks a lot. Will be on the look out for these clearance threads at bbuy from now on.

thanks op, using ur tip on the apc laptop battery...

I agree. Only a moron will completely depend on BB for his business. OP though provided very great info and hence satisfied his ego, there is absolutely no harm to resellers as such. Now, show me red and get satisfied

RapaciousEbayer said: apology accepted. while this information is considered common knowledge to those of us with the slightest bit of intelligence, I knew it was bound to be broken down for the masses sooner or later. There are still plenty of other ways to get deals which haven't even been touched on, as well as new ways to get deals in the making. so your info hardly makes much of a dent into resellers' bottom line.