While you may be surprised by the sheer bravado of a retailer gaming the system to never be undersold by its own Web site (see Seth Godin), the Swashbuckler is not surprised at all. You see, online prices are typically at least 15% lower across the board, versus in-store prices. Some of the best online retailers have made it common practice to not only beat in-store prices by a wide margin, but also to offer friendly and personalized customer service. Could it be that small stores who sell their wares over the Web are more trusworthy than big retailers with tons of overhead? Imagine that.
Actually, it's not hard to imagine, which is why every month or so, one might find a news story like this one floating around. Want to combat this? Be armed with the proper information, at the right time and place for it to be most useful. Be a smart shopper.
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