- When it comes to pricing, Costco only cares about Costco.
- The wholesale club doesn't match prices with other retailers, or between its warehouses and online.
As retailers compete to attract shoppers — often selling the same products — it has become increasingly common for companies to match one another's prices.
But one company stands apart: Costco.
While retailers like Target will match publicly listed online prices for Costco, the warehouse club does not reciprocate.
"Costco does not price match with other sellers," the company says on its website.
Of course, many of the items sold by Costco are prepared uniquely for the company, so it can be surprisingly difficult to find the exact stock-keeping unit number at another retailer.
Nor does Costco match its online and in-warehouse prices, which can differ by several dollars, depending on the item and delivery.
There is one price Costco will match however, and that is its own, so long as the adjustment is made within 30 days of purchase.
Say a shopper notices the perfect flannel shirt and grabs one to try. When he goes back a week or two later to get another, he notices the price now ends in .97 instead of .99 (a sure sign an item has been marked down). A visit to the membership desk is all it takes to get a refund on the earlier purchase price to match the current sale price.
To get a purchase price adjusted, customers can either visit the membership desk or initiate the process online.
Customers who are determined to get the lowest possible price still have the option of Costco's 100% satisfaction guarantee, which offers a full refund on most items.
That's a risky move however, since there's a chance the exact item may no longer be available for purchase.
Additionally, some items, such as gold bars are not eligible for returns or adjustments.