Price Check
Recently in a last minute Christmas shopping sprint with my sister in law, we hit up our closest Target here on Forest Hill Ave. There we found an adorable little $69 iPod dock for her daughter but sadly learned that the display model was all that remained in the store. The kind people at the register hunted down the identical dock at another Target about 15 minutes away in Midlothian, and once there we were stunned to learn that the exact same dock was selling for $59 (a whole $10 less than the one just 15 minutes away in Forest Hill).
We asked the cashier if it was on sale in the Midlothian location and she explained that it always sells for that price at this location (among many others in Richmond), but there are two Target stores nearby that consistently mark up thousands of items due to the “demographic.” The Forest Hill Target and the Short Pump Target. In short, they consider these two locations here in Richmond to be more frequented by higher income families, so their prices reflect that perceived elevated income. Of course we beg to differ with that categorization as we’re one of many locals who live in a modest little ranch near the Forest Hill Target. And we were seriously stunned that they so openly owned up to the price finagling that occurs within our small city.
The lesson? Maybe the closest deal isn’t the best one. From now on we’ll make all of our big Target purchases at the Midlothian store (still just minutes from our door) and we’ll be sure to tell everyone we know about the “location inflation” that silently lurks here in Richmond. We’re sure it’s not only relegated to our city- has anyone else noticed price disparities in their hometown? If you’re feeling experimental just pick a $50+ item and remember the price (like a specific TV, game system, Christmas tree, camping tent, etc) and then visit a few other Targets in your area to see if the price changes. Don’t be surprised if you see some serious price stretching and shrinking depending on the store’s locale. I bet this goes on at other stores as well. Give us the scoop if you notice anything shady!
Image from here.
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We have 4 super wal-marts in our town of 200,000. The one in the oldest, poorest part of town is always the most expensive and carries the smallest selection of products despite being the newest and largest store. I asked a manager about it one day and he said prices were higher there because, the low income demographic wouldn’t shop around and because the store is close to a huge university and college students will pay just about any price. !!! Needless to say, it is well worth the extra gas money and time to get to one of the other super walmarts for better prices.
We moved from Hampton, VA last October–the prices there were unbelievable. I honestly don’t know how people survive there.
It’s unfortunate that stores get away with gouging like that, but the only reason they do is because of the “I want it RIGHT NOW mentality”–it has less to do with a store’s greed and more to do with your average American’s.
Publix supermarket has a three tiered pricing system – a pricey, pricey-er, and pricey-est, if you will – depending on where the store is located.
I live in Central Ohio and this absolutely happens at many stores, especially Target. I live exactly 7 miles from 2 different Targets. I’ve been watching prices for so long now I know which Target to go to depending on what I am looking to buy.
I’m in SE Michigan and I’ve noticed this with our Target. The ones by my house are cheaper than the ones an hour away where I work (a huge college town).
Wal-mart does it too!
Maybe the higher prices reflect the higher rent/mortgage they pay on buildings in more desirable areas, or perhaps the higher employee wages associated with more affluent areas.
I suspected this was the case in supermarkets since the Ralph’s in Malibu was always ridiculously expensive compared to the ones down near Long Beach.
But Target? I never thought they’d pull that crap. I haven’t seen it in our area, but the demographics are similar across the 3 stores that I frequent.
My best friend and I both bought the same Thomas O’Brien rug for sale at two different Targets. The original price was $129. I got mine for $123 (I know, great sale). She got hers for $32. Yikes!
I work at Target and there is another Target in town that is only 4 miles away from our store. The stock goes on clearance faster at the other location because they are a lower volume store and have a different mark-down schedule.
I’ve seen it and it doesn’t surprise me at all.
Although if the Hampton, VA shopper thought it was bad, they shouldn’t head up to Newport News or Williamsburg Targets. College town and lots of yuppies, the prices there are always higher.
Looks like the word is getting out. The story is on the rvanews Community News board c/o Hills and Heights. http://pharrout.com/~hillsand/2009/01/09/different-prices-at-local-targets/
Give it two months and RTD will have a write up.
I was shocked when I discovered this during my Christmas shopping.. I guess we are naive because others seem to know this. I bought my niece an Abercrombie sweatshirt for $60 (yeah expensive, but you know teenagers). Then I looked on the website the next day and they had the same sweatshirt on sale for $38.90. Interested in saving $21 bucks, I took it back to the store and it was not on sale. I asked a girl working there and she called another store in a less affluent part of town and confirmed they also had it on sale. She gave me the sale price and obviously knew this was common practice for her store because she voluntarily called to price match it for me. It took me 10 minutes to save $21 bucks, but it just annoys me that stores constantly make us work the extra mile to get a fair deal. Not everyone has time or the energy to be so on top of things.
nooo…. not my favorite Target! I guess that’s the price you pay for it never being crowded. I’ll be treking it out to Midlo more often. Thanks for the heads up!
The two Targets near us have price discrepancies with sale signs. The Target closest to us (by a mile), but on our side of the highway sells things at full cost, while the one on the other side of the highway often has price markdowns on the full price items at our ritzy Target.
I’m not too surprised. I go to the Midlothian Target, but I have gone out to Forest Hills Target because I think it’s nicer. I bet when the new Target opens at Watkins Center (288 and Midlothian Turnpike), they’ll be a higher-price store as well.
I live in a fairly small town in Illinois, kind of near St. Louis, with 1 Target and 1 Wal-Mart so I can’t say I’ve noticed, but I’m definitely going to tell those I know. Wow Target, shame on you!!
good to know! midlo target it is then! thanks for sharing!
This is absolutely the case in our Target stores. I live in Minneapolis and the prices in several of the stores in nearby (5-10 min drive) are completely different, also associated with neighborhood income.
Thanks for the heads up as I always hit up the Forest Hill location when I visit my sister. I am now going to wait until I visit my parents out in Midlothian.
Another confirmation here. I happened to visit two Targets in one day and I noticed that the pie crusts I bought on clearance for $1.79 were on clearance for $2.19 at the Target in the nicer neighborhood. No item is too small for the markup, evidently.
Similarly, I’ve heard that there are nicer Targets and then there are “ghetto” Targets. Supposedly, the stores will have different merchandise. I happen to live closer to a “ghetto” Target (yeah, I keep it real); I’ve never noticed any difference in the merchandise, but the prices are certainly different.
Why did they think they could get away with this in the age of the Internet?
I think this is a common practice for many stores and surprisingly even restaurants as well.
Best Buy…they are guilty too! I found a digital frame for my parents at one best buy and then went to another best buy within 10-15 miles and it was $20 cheaper!! i never knew that is how stores work!!
No! That’s my Target too! I did notice that the Christmas clearance stuff at the Midlo Target was much better than at Forest Hill. Now I know why.
This was totally the case in my college town of St. Paul Minnesota. Two Targets within minutes of each other could be crazily different in merchandise and price. Of course the powers that be will tell us lowly consumers that there is a reason for it and we should be grateful for this because blah blah blah.
I think it is naive of the retailers; not to mention wrong.
Oh yeah…saw this just this week, in fact. We have “Bloom” grocery stores in Northern VA (old Food Lion stores). I happened to get 2 flyers for this week…almost thinking they were duplicates until I saw pricing differences. I looked at the fine print and noticed the one 15 minutes up the road was cheaper than the one less than a mile from my house. SNEAKY!
Some other Richmond stores that do the same thing is Best Buy, WalMart, Kroger, and even Arbys!
We have this all over the place here. And I’m up in Canada. Unfortunately for me, I’m in the same boat as you and John, in that the very upscale neighbourhood we live in, means I have to drive a little farther to get a deal. However, I might point out, that it’s definetly true that depending on the demographics, a store stocks what that area buys… so sometimes I have to shop at the “fancy” Walmart if I’m looking for something specific. :)
No way! I’ve suspected that here in Texas (right outside of Dallas). We have 2 Targets that I could have sworn had different pricing…on clothing. Now I will really pay attention!!
I only wish I even had a Target… I have a feeling this practice is illegal here in Sweden. If there are price discrepancies it’s usually down to the individual store managers wanting to rotate their stock and not a corporate decision.
I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed this about the Forest Hill Target before! I typically frequent the Target at Broad & Libbie near St. Mary’s Hospital and Willow Lawn. It’s near enough to the Fan/Museum District that the selection is nice and upscale, but the prices are much better than Forest Hill.
And in response to the Best Buy comment, they are the WORST! We just bought a navigation system (tomtom brand) for my mother-in-law’s birthday. It was $300 at Best Buy. Half mile down the road at BJ’s, the same model was $169. Insane!
Thanks for the heads up. I live near the Short Pump store but may start checking out the Libbie location.
I see that Benita has commented a couple times today. If you haven’t already, check out her blog, Chezlarsson, it’s one of my favorites! I loooove her laundry room, and the rest of her house too.
Unfortunately we only have one Target in our town :o( I know our Wal Marts do that, but the one with the best prices is so far away that I don’t bother driving there. I pretty much avoid Wal Mart anyway, to me some things are more important than just the cheapest price.
I just sent this post to my SIL who lives in Richmond. Sneaky little stores!
I live near 2 Targets – I purchased a Victoria Hagan mirror on clearance for $5 at one and decided I wanted another. When I went to purchase at the other Target – it wasn’t on sale. I asked the store clerk and she said that they mark down items based on inventory – so one store may have an item on clearance and it can be full-priced at another…..it really pays to shop around.
Oh I’ve known this since I moved into my home. I asked my hubby why since it’s the same county but I guess more “upscale” area you live, the more things cost. Not only big things but even little things like soap!
I’ve heard Ukrop’s does it too…
I live in the Netherlands. We went to Berlin just before Christmas. My boyfriend bought a shirt at the Tchibo shop in Potsdam for € 15. It cost € 18 in a Tchibo shop near our hotel and € 20 in a Tchibo shop in a shopping mall near our hotel. At the Tchibo (only mail order) in the Netherlands the shirt cost € 22. So it isn’t just an US thing.
Bye,
Marianne.
This confirms what I have wondered for many years! I live equal distance to 3 Targets and a fourth is about 5 minutes further. I am going to take a Saturday to visit a few of them and figure out which one is the better deal…. Thanks for the info!
Walgreens does it too- I picked up my monthly allergy meds while visiting my mom in a different state, and the prescription was about 15% more than it is at my normal Walgreens!
Yuck. My boyfriend lives super close to the Forest Hill Target so we’re there all the time for one thing or another. I’m closer to the Target near Willow Lawn but I may have to check out the one in Midlothian. What a pain that they do that. It already stressful trying to find a good deal without thinking about WHICH Target or WHICH Wal-Mart to go to.
The selection and availability of “hot” items also varies widely. When my husband and I were looking for the Wii game system when it first came out, the Target at Willow Lawn had sold out in an hour, but we were able to drive to Midlo where they had several in stock.
Unfortunately, many stores do this–I found out when shopping at a Wal-Mart that wasn’t my normal store and the dog food was $4 higher. I spoke with a manager and he told me that some stores are higher than others due to their location…needless to say, I was shocked and didn’t go back to that particular store!
Thanks for telling me. I guess I’m one of those ‘impulse’ shoppers that doesn’t bother to shop around. I live out near the Short Pump store and it would be really far to shop at the Libbie store, so I guess I’ll just pay it. Geez.
This comment is about 6 months late, but thought it was worth mentioning that I learned a couple of years ago that anything priced with a “4″ at the end is the final price (at Target). Ex. $9.54, $1.24, etc. That helps me to make a decision on something I want knowing that it won’t get any cheaper…
My girlfriend was looking for a new Dyson vacuum cleaner at her local Target. She called me to ask if I knew the difference between two models. After pulling up Target’s website, I explained the difference for the costs. She informed me my pricing was $50 cheaper than what she was looking at. I double checked and assured her of my costs. She went home figuring she would buy it online and save the $50, only to find her website for Target also showed the difference. She was able to get to Target’s website thru another channel and found MY pricing! There is only 40 miles between us and the general demographics are identical!
I know this is more than a little late but I just now saw this post and thought I would mention that although WalMart price matches — they actually don’t match their own prices at different stores! Crazy!
That’s so strange! Thanks for the tip.
xo,
s
I’ve actually noticed this with many chain retail stores. They seem to target the higher income communities and are relatively successful at it. I always call around before I even leave my house.
Very interesting! Speaking of stores marking things up, know your prices! I love to find a great deal at thrift stores, but sometimes it’s cheaper to buy something brand new at a discount store like Wal-Mart or Target. I bought a huricane glass vase brand new for $3 and Value Village was selling an identical one for $5. Not everything used is cheaper. I know this is long after the original post, but thought it was worth mentioning for any newcomers (like me) browsing through your archives.