Target to Price-Match 29 Rivals' Websites...

Starting tomorrow (October 1st) Target will price-match the websites of 29 major retailers in stores and for purchases from their website. These include the usual big names that you might expect, like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, but also some major specialty retailers like Sports Authority and cosmetics retailer Ulta.

Consumerist reports that Target has only price-matched the websites of a few retailers until now: those were Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Babies ‘R’ Us. The new list expands price-matching beyond the online outlets of local retailers with physical stores. For example: if you don’t happen to have a Buy Buy Baby in your area - but they have an excellent sale - Target will price-match the website.

Target’s existing price-matching policy doesn’t allow customers to match with items available from third-party sellers, who might post an item at an unrealistically low price for the sole purpose of price-matching. Target also plans to match online prices from two warehouse clubs - Costco and Sam’s Club - but it’s not clear whether you need to be a member of one of those clubs to get the online price of an item from Target.

Price-matching has become much easier in an era where many shoppers carry smartphones, and Target even thoughtfully provides in-store wi-fi. Yet making it available is also a little bit deceptive: exclusive and store-brand items can’t be price-matched because they simply aren’t available from other retailers. Target will price-match Kohl’s, for example, but Kohl’s mostly carries its own brands.

For those who are interested, here’s the full list of Target’s new online price-matching buddies:

Amazon, Babies ‘R’ Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Buy Buy Baby, Costco, CVS, Diapers.com, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Drugstore.com, GameStop, JCPenney, Kmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Newegg, Office Depot, Petco, Petsmart, Sam’s Club, Sears, Sports Authority, Staples, Toys ‘R’ Us, Ulta, Walgreens, Walmart, and Wayfair.