Some stores refund the difference if their own price falls soon after you buy. The time limits are short and the rules differ a lot. Here's what Best Buy, Target, Kohl's, Macy's and Walmart actually say.
It's the classic early-shopping annoyance: you buy a gift in October, and two weeks later the same item is cheaper at the same store. Whether you can get the difference back depends on the store's price adjustment policy — a refund of the gap when its own price drops after you've bought. That's different from a price match, where a store lowers its price to match a competitor.
Everything below comes from each retailer's own policy pages, linked at the bottom, as they read in October 2026. Policies change, especially around the holidays, so confirm with the store before you count on it.
Best Buy's price match guarantee says: “If we lower our in-store, online or app price during the return and exchange period, we will match our lower price, upon request.” Its return policy sets that period at 15 days for most products for most customers, and 60 days for My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members, starting the day you receive the product. Member timeframes don't apply to marketplace purchases.
The guarantee excludes items sold by third-party marketplace sellers, clearance, refurbished and open-box items, bundles, free items, coupons, gift card offers and pricing errors. It also lists holiday exclusions: competitor prices from the Thursday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after, and items marked as Black Friday pricing. If your purchase falls near Thanksgiving week, ask before you count on an adjustment. To request one, use Best Buy chat, call 1-888-237-8289, or ask at a store.
Target's price match guarantee says matches may be requested at the time of purchase or within 14 days after, and that original receipts (physical or digital) or packing slips are required for price adjustments up to 14 days after purchase. That covers Target lowering its own price within two weeks.
Excluded: clearance, closeout and liquidation sales; damaged, used, open-package, refurbished and pre-owned items; pre-orders; and typographical errors, among others. Target Circle bonuses, gift card offers and Target coupons can't be combined with a price match. Ask at Guest Services in a store, or for online orders chat with Target or call 1-800-591-3869 with your order number ready.
Kohl's will adjust the price if an item's current sale or regular price is lower than what you paid within the prior two weeks. You need the original, dated sales receipt, and the purchase must have been at a Kohl's store or on Kohls.com.
Clearance markdowns, Kohl's Cares merchandise and Buy One, Get One deals are excluded. If you used a coupon on the original purchase, it has to still be valid for the adjustment. Kohl's also says it may block adjustments during periods it chooses — so a big sale weekend isn't guaranteed to qualify. In-store purchases are adjusted at a store; online orders go through customer service.
Macy's says the price must drop within 10 days of your order date, and you must ask within that window. The lower price has to be a Macy's advertised price, the refund is the difference and goes back to your original payment method, and promotional discounts can't be combined with a price adjustment. Items sold “Direct from Vendor” aren't eligible. Furniture and mattresses run on 10 days from delivery or ship date instead.
For online orders, chat with Macy's or call 1-800-289-6229; for store purchases, bring your receipt to a Macy's. Macy's says you have to ask yourself — it doesn't accept requests made through third-party apps.
Walmart is the clearest no. Its price match policy lists “items purchased from Walmart.com that later decrease in price” as something it doesn't match, along with competitors' prices and marketplace sellers. In Walmart stores, it will match the price of the identical item advertised on Walmart.com, and the store manager on duty has the final say — but that's at the register, and Walmart's pages don't describe a refund if a store price drops after you've paid.
We couldn't open Amazon's or Costco's help pages to confirm their current rules for this guide, so we've left them out rather than guess. If you bought there, ask their customer service directly and get the answer in writing in the chat.
Adjustments only cover the store you bought from. Before you buy, it helps to know what other major retailers are charging for the same item, so you can tell whether the price in front of you is already low or likely to fall. Our guides on whether a sale is actually a good deal and holiday return windows cover the rest.
Price AI identifies the product from a photo or barcode, shows current prices from major retailers, and gives you a Deal Score from 1–100 so you know whether to buy now or wait. When it can't find enough prices to be confident, it says so instead of guessing.
Not for Walmart.com orders. Walmart's price match policy says it doesn't match items bought on Walmart.com that later decrease in price. In stores it matches the identical item's Walmart.com price at the register, at the store manager's discretion.
14 days. Target's price match guarantee says price adjustments can be requested up to 14 days after purchase with your original receipt or packing slip. Clearance, open-package, refurbished and pre-order items are excluded.
Yes, during your return and exchange period, if you ask. Best Buy says it will match its own lower in-store, online or app price in that period, which is 15 days for most customers and 60 days for My Best Buy Plus and Total members.
Related: which stores price match a competitor, holiday return policies for buying gifts early, and how to tell if a Prime Big Deal Days price is good.