7 Grocery Chain Price Adjustment Policies Every Customer Should Be Aware Of

Long-time bargain shoppers have known the secret of price adjustments for years, but more and more shoppers are seeking out tricks of the trade to save money on pantry staples and grocery must-haves as prices continue to climb. However, store policies are also reacting to rising costs. Price matching was once used by stores as a way to beat out competitors by matching their advertised prices. You still see this strategy among retailers during the holiday season, but many grocery stores have done away with this policy as an evergreen offering. These days, price adjustment policies are more common, where stores match their own price points on a few conditions: if the cash register doesn't match the shelf price, if the price of an item drops soon after a customer purchases it, or if the item is offered on the store's website at a lower price.

To get in on price adjustments, you have to follow the rules. First, the lower-priced item must be an exact match for what you purchased before it was marked down. You need your receipt, and if you bought your item in-store, you are usually limited to getting a price adjustment from that same store location (though there are some exceptions). If you purchased online, you likely need to hop on a customer service chat to handle the adjustment. While price adjustments require a little legwork, they can offer peace of mind that you get the best recent price for an item (as long as you're willing to follow up). Here are seven grocery chains that have price-adjustment policies.

Target held onto its competitor price-matching policy longer than most, but the mega retailer stopped matching Walmart and Amazon prices last year. Now, Target only issues a price adjustment if you find a lower price on the item on its website or app, with a Target Circle deal, or at the same Target store you purchased from within 14 days.

Costco barely makes our list with its strict price adjustment policy — it does not honor price adjustments between its website and in-store prices. However, Costco does have you covered if you miss a sale: If you make a purchase that goes on sale within 30 days, Costco refunds the difference. The sale price must be promoted wherever you originally bought your item, whether online or in-store.

Similar to Costco, Walmart's price adjustment policies depend on whether you made your purchase in-store or online. If a price shows up lower online than what you paid for in-store, you can get a price adjustment, but it doesn't work the other way around. Online purchases do not qualify for price adjustments if a lower price is offered in-store, nor if the price goes down online. In other words, Walmart's online prices are set in stone at time of purchase.

Importantly, Sam's Club's price adjustment policy differs from its parent company, Walmart. Sam's Club does not offer price adjustments when items are marked down. However, it is up to each club whether it offers price adjustments based on another club's prices. However, even in that case, markdown prices aren't matched.

While Aldi's Twice as Nice return policy is one of the best around, the bargain grocery store doesn't offer price adjustments on its regular inventory or its seasonal items. However, Aldi Find items can qualify for a price adjustment if the price drops within 14 days of your purchase, letting you shop Aldi's aisle of shame with the utmost confidence.

ShopRite doesn't just adjust the price if there's a discrepancy between the shelf tag and scanned price at the register; its policy rewards customers for noticing the error within seven days of purchase. If the item scans higher than the shelf price, you get one of those items for free up to $10, or get a $10 deduction off the corrected price. If you're buying more than one of the item, the rest are adjusted to the lowest price.

Wegmans honors a lower shelf price if an item rings up higher at checkout. As a "Thank you" for bringing the error to attention, the store also gives customers a $1 credit towards their purchase. If you're in Massachusetts and New Jersey, Wegmans offers the same $10 off policy as ShopRite.