Gander Mountain's Peculiar Price Match Policy

[heavyshooter]

I am not a Gander Mountain basher but I need somone to explain this experince to me.

I was in Gander Mountain today to pick up a SIG P232. Many of you are aware that Gander Mtn. has a price match policy. I have called all over town to find the P232 and no one had it except Gander Mtn. Their price was $599.99; they are notably over priced. I have noticed this on other occasions but it was never an issue because they match the lower price. My local mom and pop store sells it for $511.99 but they do not know when they will have one. Sportsman's Warehouse sells it for $509.99 but they do not have any in stock either. I found it at Gander and I asked if they would match the price and they said they would, so I drive an hour to get to their store and the guy behind the counter tells me that they will only price match Sportsman's Warehouse if they have it in stock!!!:banghead: If they had it in stock I would by it from them!!!:banghead: I went to Sportsmans Warehouse and their cupboards are bare. Nearly everyone in my neck of the woods is having records sales and their inventory is low. This makes the Gander price match policy all but moot. I am no retail genius so I will need someone to explain this to me.

Heavy

 

[Sinixstar]

Basically it comes down to - we'll price match what's really available.
Kinda crappy that it's not made more clear - but it makes sense.
PriceMatch is a means of competition. Why would you compete with someone who isn't really competition?

 

[Kenneth Lew]

I can understand the position of Gander Mountain. If I was a competing retailer, I would place an ad for a Sig P232 for $400.00 and never order it with the little disclaimer "Subject to product on hand, no rain checks, no substitutions, price subject to change without notice." It is done just to sabotage another retailer.

 

[GregGry]

Its called price of availability. When I was a counterman at napa I would always get shops and people that would call/come in and ask for a specific part, and I knew they had been to other places right away due to the part they are asking about. After I told them the price, I would get "well I can get it from advance auto for 30$ less, can you match the price". Often times It would come down to me telling them that they should just go to advance or wherever else. Of course they would then say "well they don't have it". Such a price matching policy is standard at almost every place you shop at, for good reason.

 

[GregGry]

Also, quite honestly you can't expect a big box store to be dirt cheap on everything. If you want to get the best deals you have to shop around. Around here I find Gander mountain to have ok prices, and pretty decent service. They do tend to run out of things a lot though. I would have bought a HD shotgun from them a while back, but they didn't have one. I ended up going to Cabelas, and I bought super nova tactical.

 

[evan price]

I used to get that a lot when I worked retail. I'd get the price match, then not in stock, but they are $50 cheaper story too- My usual answer was, "When I don't have it in stock, I give it away for free."
And that's why they are still having a pistol in stock- the yare priced high- if you want it- really want it- you'll pay their price.

 

[Geezer Glide]

Price match is a crock. If they can match prices, they are too high on their original price. If they want to beat someone's price, that's another story.

 

[7.62Reaper]

Supply and demand. They charge more because they can.

 

[GRB]

Here is the Gander Mountain in store price match guarantee:

Retail Store purchase only:
If you should find a lower price on an identical in stock item within 14 days at a local competitor, let us know and we will match that price! The competitor must be within a one-hour drive from your Gander Mountain store. This offer excludes rebates, financing offers, misprints, discontinued, clearance, or closeout prices on used, damaged, returned, open box or display merchandise. Stop by the Customer Service counter for complete details.

source: http://www.gandermountain.com/customer_service/lowpriceguarantee.shtml

Note that the bold face above was added by me. The terms seem pretty easy to understand and I guess you can figure why they may only price match the particular store they mentioned if it is the only other one selling these pistols within a 1 hour drive the Gander Mountain store where you were shopping. Note the item must also be "in stock" in the other store.

By the way, I have to agree with 7.62Reaper about supply and demand. If no one else has what you want, why shouldn't the one place that has it charge more? Ours is still, at least for now, a capitalist economy.

 

[fspitzdorf]

Overpriced is an understatement.... Bought a box of 250 ct 55 gr Nosler BTs at Cabelas a few weeks back... $37.99... Was at the local GMnt the next day and the same exact product was marked $59.99... $22 difference

 

[usp9]

I've had my local Gander Mtn. price match an item of which a competitor was out of stock. I have a Dick's and a G.M. within about a mile of each other and when Dick's ammo sale wipes them out, I head for G.M.

I suspect this is a policy made up on the spot or influenced by individual store managers. I thnk I would have asked to see the manager... the worse that could happen is he'd say no too.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

At a place I use to work at a guy came in looking for a Browning Auto 5. Showed him one, he looked at the price tag and says "Over at such and such gun store, the price was only this much." I told him he should buy it there. He says "But they don't have any."
My boss interrupts and adds "Well, when we don't have any, that's our price, too."
IF YOU CAN GET IT FOR LESS, we'll match it. If you can't get it, why should we match it?

 

[Izaak Walton]

Over the last 2 or 3 weeks I have seen adds for AR lowers. Some down to $60 to $70 each. The trick is everybody is out of stock.
I guess if I didn’t have any I could sell them for half that.
Supply and demand.

 

[lipadj46]

Their price match policy sounds about the same as any other big store price match policy. Though the good stores will match the price - 10%. I got a good deal on an HDTV from Best Buy last year with a price match plus they guaranteed the price for 60 days. I must of gone back 3 times and ended up saving $500 on TV over 2 months.

People like my father keep Gander Mountain in business. I love him to death but he has more money than sense sometimes. When he is going there to buy hunting stuff I always tell him I can get it much cheaper but it may take a week to get it. He wants it now though and likes the shopping experience I guess.

 

[MAKster]

You cannot blame Gander for this one. The whole point of a price match is so you will buy the item from them and no the competitor. Since the other store doesn't have the item in stock, they are not really beating Gander's price. In fact most stores have an even stricter policy based on "advertised" price. If you cannot show them the weekly circular with the competitors price they won't take your word.

 

[Trebor]

It's not just a Gander Mountain thing. Any store that I know of with a price match policy always requires that the product be in stock at the competing store.

 

[mr..plow]

Yep if you can get it cheaper elsewhere buy it..Dont rely on price matching as it rarely works out for the buyer.

 

[MikePGS]

I feel bad for you. When I called to ask about it (just to make sure it still existed) the person on the phone explicitly stated that it was only available if the other company had it in stock.

 

[misANTHrope]

Yeah, that's a pretty standard thing for a matching policy. Still, it would have been nice for the guy you spoke with on the phone to make sure you knew about the in-stock requirement before driving out there.