Price Protection

Many stores offer low-price-match guarantees. On the surface this protects consumers. But it can harm them too. Once convinced that a store will match a lower price, customers may not shop around to find better prices. Moreover, if multiple stores offer a low-price-match, reduced prices won’t boost sales and the price-match becomes a form of legal price collusion. Low-price-matches primarily help consumers when the low-cost provider offers the guarantee.