The waning hours of 2009, found me searching for a new electric tooth brush. Having settled on the Oral-B 4000 (because it has a charger that can be used anywhere in the world - in case you are curious), I did a quick online search. I was quite surprised by the spread of the prices (all offered free shipping):
- CVS: $139.99 (both online at http://www.cvs.com and at the store)
- Walgreens: $129.99 (http://www.wallgreens.com )
- Drugstore.com: $99.99
Even when you find the lowest price, you should investigate the retailer, especially if it prices the item significantly lower than the competition. Rock bottom prices could signal an unscrupulous retailer. The horror stories abound. Here's a sampling: what is advertised isn't what you get, you get an order confirmation call where if you don't load up on accessories your item is suddenly out of stock, you get charged for things you didn't order, and you have trouble getting refunds [2]. Not all low price retailers are bad but there's enough of them out there to warrant research.
The takeaway is that the internet hasn't been the great equalizer. A single price posted on-line isn't necessarily going to be close to the lowest you can get. Don't depend on retailers searching on-line to find out if their price is competitive to others.
Sources:
All website prices were accessed on December 31, 2009 and again on January 1, 2010.
[1] Berlinski, Peter. "Ryan Preaches PL to CVS Team," Private Label Magazine, January 2006 (accessed January 1, 2010) http://privatelabelmag.com/pdf/jan_2006/Ryan-Preaches-PL-to-CVS-Team.cfm .
[2] Tynan, Daniel and Tom Spring. "Camera Confidential." PCWorld, January 8, 2003 (accessed January 1, 2010)
http://www.pcworld.com/article/107855/camera_confidential.html .
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