Last week's decision by Walmart to formalize a policy of matching online competitors' prices has come back to bite the retailer. According to the gaming website Kotaku, Walmart stores wound up matching, as it turns out, incorrect prices for Wii U, 3DS and Playstation 4 consoles.
In the case of the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS bundles, smart gamers took advantage of a pricing error on Sears.com that offered the units for $59.99 instead of the $300 and $200, respectively, normally charged for the items. Not all stores that participate in price matching agreed to the offer, believing it to be a mistake, but several photos showed that consumers were able to purchase the items at the $59.99 price. (It should be noted that Walmart was not the only chain whose stores matched this price.)
In the case of Playstation 4 consoles, some Walmart stores fell victim to an online scam. Fake listings on Amazon.com, including one under the name "AmzonElectronics," showed a PS4, which normally sells for $310, available for $89.99. Amazon took down this listing and other fraudulent ones, but not before some consumers were able to print out the offers. From there it was just a short trip to local Walmarts for deals that, as it turns out, really were too good to be true.
When Walmart announced it would match online pricing, the company's management said it was just formalizing a policy that was being practiced by over half its stores anyway.
- Walmart Takes on Amazon by Matching Online Prices - The Associated Press/Daily Finance
- Wal-Mart told store managers to match online prices with Amazon - Reuters
- People Are Scamming Walmart With Bogus Cheap PS4 Listings - Kotaku
- Temporary Sears Glitch Let Some People Buy $60 3DS and Wii U Bundles - Kotaku