shopping apps

Amazon Will Give You 5% Off for Price Checking Saturday: But Is It Fair?

Carrie Kirby — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:35:01 +0000

Amazon is offering shoppers 5% off on purchases this Saturday — December 10 — if they use the retailer's Price Check app on the same product in a brick and mortar store. (See also: 16 Best Mobile Shopping Apps for Your Phone)

This effectively means that Amazon is trying to get customers who walk into a store intending to buy, say, a Barbie Cruise Ship, to leave the store and buy on Amazon instead. The program also encourages shoppers to inform Amazon of the prices that other retailers are charging for the items they look up. Shoppers can get a 5% discount on up to three items Saturday, with a maximum discount of $5 per item.

Some small business owners are outraged.

"The Amazon promotion encourages consumers to take the resources of their local businesses in order to save themselves money and allow Amazon to profit,” said Katherine O. McHenry, shopkeeper at Building Blocks Toy Store in Chicago.

As McHenry sees it, Amazon is encouraging customers to use local stores as a showroom only.

"I think consumers have a responsibility to 'buy it where they try it,'” McHenry said.

McHenry is not alone — retailer associations nationwide have decried Amazon's move.

Then there is the fact that Amazon asks — but doesn't require — customers to tell them what other stores are charging.

"With every in-store price you share, you help insure our prices remain competitive for our customers,” Amazon says.

Is it nice to ask your customers to spy on the competition? Then again, Amazon's prices are always right out there for everyone to see, so maybe they feel that turnabout is fair play.

What do you think of this promotion? It's surely a boon to shoppers to be able to get up to $15 off holiday shopping this weekend. And despite McHenry's understandable frustration, it's not as if comparison shopping is a new thing. Apps like Amazon's Price Check just make it a lot easier.

Do you feel any responsibility to the store where you physically checked out an item? What if the staff spends time demonstrating the item or helping you figure out what you need? Is it different if you visit the showroom of a national chain versus a local shop? Is there something inherently evil or crass about using a price check app?

Personally, I feel like it's tacky to go to a local store to see or play with a specific item, knowing that I intend to buy it elsewhere. I wouldn't waste the staff's time with questions if that was my intention. But my goodwill towards local business only goes so far — if I browse in a local shop and happen to see something I like, I'm not going to say I won't buy it online months later. And if I'm browsing at a national chain, all bets are off.

I have used price check apps in stores, but only large chain stores. I recently pulled out my Droid and used the ShopSavvy app at Kohl's to check the price of that Barbie Cruise Ship I mentioned. At the time, Kohl's sale price beat Amazon's — and I had a 20% off coupon besides, so using the app helped me buy in confidence.

But I don't know if I would use that same app in a local toy store. I would probably be embarrassed that the owner would see me.

Price-Checking Apps

If you aren't afraid to price compare at will, here are the smartphone apps that make it possible:

Amazon Price Check

For Android and iPhone, free. Scan a barcode, snap a photo, or say the item's name, and the app will tell you what Amazon charges for it.

ShopSavvy Bar Code Scanner

For Android and iPhone, free. Scan the barcode, and the app will attempt to tell you what the item sells for online and in nearby physical locations. I say "attempt," because I have not successfully had ShopSavvy find me an item in a nearby store. It found the item at the store I was in, but the price was wrong.

Google Shopper

For Android and iPhone, free. Point your phone at a barcode, or the cover of a book or DVD, and Google will search for price comparisons from online merchants.

This article is from Carrie Kirby of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

16 Best Mobile Shopping Apps For Your Phone

Lynn Truong — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:00:03 +0000

Dealista MP3:

Best Mobile Shopping Apps

This article shares tips from the newest episode of Dealista, our podcast that'll help you get more for less.

Bargain hunting is easier than ever with these great shopping apps for your smart phone. You no longer have to run from store to store comparing prices, or wonder if the hot deal you're looking at might not be as hot as the one offered across the street. Use these popular shopping apps to make sure you're walking out the store with the very best deal.

ShopSavvy: Scan barcodes with your phone and compare prices across 20,000 retailers. It also provides reviews. Available free for iPhone and Android.

Shop Nearby: Shop every store with every product on the web from your iPhone. Find out which stores near you carry the products you're looking for and compare prices. Available free for iPhone or mobile browserK.

RedLaser: Similar to ShopSavvy, you can scan bar coded items and compare prices from GoogleProducts and TheFind database. Available for iPhone at $1.99.

Amazon: Search and compare prices from local retailers for over a million products sold on Amazon.com. Available free for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android.

Save Benjis: Search online vendors for virtually any product to compare prices. This app also provides product descriptions and reviews. Available free for iPhone.

Compare Me: If you've got two items of varying volume and need to figure out which is the better deal, CompareMe will tell you. Available for iPhone for $1.99.

Coupon Sherpa: Use this app to find coupons while on the go. Just show the coupon on your phone and it'll scan at the register! Available free for iPhone.

MobiQpons: This cool app will show you coupons available for stores, restaurants, and services near you. Available free for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.

SnapTell: Take a photo of the cover of a CD, DVD, book, or video game and the app will identify the product and find ratings and pricing. Available free for iPhone and Android.

Compare Everywhere: Scan barcodes to get product prices and reviews. It can even use Android's GPS to tell you the location and directions to the nearest store that stocks the item. Available free for Android.

Buzzillions: Get product reviews on the go. Make sure the plasma TV you're eyeing at the store has user approval. Get all the reviews and ratings you need at your fingertips. Available free for iPhone.

GoodGuide: Scan a barcode to see if a product is safe, healthy, and green. See detailed ratings for health, environmental and social responsibility. Available free for iPhone.

Point Inside: Ever get lost while in a shopping mall, and can't even find the directory for a map? Take out your trusty phone and pull up the mall directory directly. Available free for iPhone.

Slifter: Get local product search, prices, images, maps, and a personalized shopping list with this neat app. Available free for iPhone and Blackberry.

Holiday Gift Guide: Browse through over a thousand items that are listed on popular holiday gift lists, and find them locally at nearby or online stores. Available free for iPhone.

Be Nice to Bunnies: Developed by PETA, you can use this app to check if a product was made cruelty-free. Available for iPhone for $1.99.

Quick and Dirty Tips for Using Shopping Apps to Get the Best Deal

You're armed with these apps and you're ready to hunt down the best bargains. Don't forget these tips while you're at the store.

Resist the temptation to buy something you know isn't the best price simply because you want it now. Sometimes it makes sense to pay more for convenience, but not when you're just impatient.
If one of your nifty apps do tell you a store nearby has the item for less, show it to the store manager. You might be able to get a price match then and there, rather than having to make a trip to another place.
Check out reviews and user ratings. Learn from the mistakes of those who bought before you.

Dealista is a collaboration between Wise Bread and Quick and Dirty Tips, the producer of popular podcasts such as Grammar Girl, Money Girl, Winning Investor, and Mighty Mommy.

If you enjoyed these tips you can find more in our show's archive.

This article is from Lynn Truong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: