Ah, deals on physical purchases. Originally posted on Cheap Ass Gamer, reposting here for posterity. Links removed and a couple of edits included:

For short-time Cheap Ass Gamers the forums appear on the surface to be the best place to find the best video game deals on the Internet, but the pros know that you need to go that extra mile sometimes to get the most out of your cheap ass dollars. This blog series will help the community get the most out of a deal with only a little effort.

Arguably, the most important weapon in the CAG's cache is the price match. While the forums provide a litany of straight-up great deals, it is possible to get a little extra value by using retailers built-in price matching policies. On the surface it may seem insignificant, but saving some time and gas money can be enough to make the wait for a manager to do a key-turn for that extra 10% off. Popular retailers that have price matching policies that are well known are Best Buy and Walmart amongst others. Each of the stores have their own little nuances, but understanding the policies will save you some money with some easy tips.

Let's look at Best Buy first. One of the most overlooked policies at Best Buy is the ability to get an extra 10% matched when the product is bought at Best Buy, then matched at BB from another retailer at a later date. Using the forums, you can usually get a day or two heads-up on what games will be on sale the following week. So, for example, I have purchased a game for $59.99 at Best Buy because I know it will be on sale the next week at Target, for instance, for 39.99. When Target's sale goes into effect, I return to Best Buy and request a price adjustment. Not only will I get the $20 difference, but the Best Buy Policy is to match 110%, meaning I also get an additional $2. This makes getting the game at Best Buy an even better deal than the original retailer. See the Best Buy in-store policy at (links removed).

Sometimes Best Buy's Policy doesn't cut the mustard, many stores require that an item you are requesting a PM on be in-stock at the competitor and that the Best Buy you are standing in have enough on-hand product. I have found that Walmart, while not having a 110% policy, does have a more liberal set of requirements. My local Walmart in the past used to only match grocery items and ads from grocery stores. Now they have begun matching for exact items in movies, music and games. Walmart doesn't research the prices much, while Best Buy will call the competitor or do an item look-up on-line before satisfying the PM. The policy on Walmart.com states the following:

We strive to provide you with the lowest prices possible on Walmart.com as well as in our stores. However, sometimes a price online does not match the price in a store. In our effort to be the lowest price provider in your particular geographic region, store pricing will sometimes differ from online prices. Our local stores do not honor Walmart.com pricing or competitor advertisements from outside of a store's local trade territory.

Local trade territory is usually defined by the store, and commonly is around 30 miles.

A few tips will save you some heartache when doing the price match at your retailer of choice. First, always have the ad ready. One of the best investments you can make is buying or subscribing to your local Weekend/Sunday newspaper that includes the ads, or get printouts of the actual ad pages from the on-line stores. The CAG community is great for this as well. Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us, K-mart and Sears etc. all have on-line printable ads. Most stores you choose to PM at will require that they see the ad, and may want to keep it. Interestingly enough, my local Walmart has made price cuts shortly after seeing a competitor ad used for a PM.

Next call ahead! One of the biggest complaints I see on the boards is that "ShaqFu-ing Store X didn't have the item I wanted in stock!!1! It's all their fault I wasted gas and my time to go and get my item of choice only to not be able to get it." While it's not 100% effective in making sure your item is there, it is better than wasting money on gas and nullifying the savings you would have seen. On-line item stock availability is also not very accurate, but calling and asking the employee to set the item aside for you is good practice.

Lastly, keep your receipts. When your retailer of choice has a price match policy, they will likely PM something for the entire refund period. I have had Best Buy price match things WEEKS after I originally bought the item. Losing the receipt can be disastrous, and in the volatile world of games, prices drop, sometimes dramatically, in a couple of weeks.

Next week: Store Rewards and clubs