Black Friday 2014: Your complete step-by-step guide

Black Friday, the biggest and most-hyped shopping holiday of the year, is approaching faster than ever. But whether you're heading out to shop Thursday, Friday, or skipping the crowds altogether and shopping online for Cyber Monday, our friends at DealNews.com are here to help you get the most out of Black Friday 2014. 

5. Get the most out of price-matching

Brandon Wade/Invision for Walmart/AP/File
A Christmas display at a Walmart store. Walmart and other retailers will offer price-matching for Black Friday, but policies vary from store to store.

If you want another way to get the best Black Friday offers, you should look into price matching policies. Here's a guide to understanding price matching, including some breakdowns of the Black Friday price matching policies for specific retailers:

Bring Proof of Lower Prices: Bring a sales flyer with you that has the price you want the retailer to match, or have the item's sale page on a competitor's website loaded up on your smartphone to show the cashier.

Know What Items Typically Qualify: Some retailers offer price matching, but only for select items. In addition, some retailers say they will price match any "local" retailer, but local can be a somewhat nebulous term that can vary from store to store.

Don't Forget About Price Adjustments: Price adjustments mean that if you can find the same item at the same store for less money at a later date, the store will offer you cash or store credit for the difference. So if you buy that TV for $399, but the store later drops the price to $350, you could stand to get cash back.

Double-Check the Store's Black Friday Price Matching Policy: Some retail stores may have different policies during the ultra-competitive Black Friday sales rush, so it's important to understand the terms of each retailer. 

Price Matching Store Policies

Best Buy

Price Matching for Black Friday: No
Match Online Prices: Yes, for select retailers (Amazon.com, Bhphotovideo.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, HP.com, Newegg.com, and TigerDirect.com)
Full Terms Here

Target

Price Matching for Black Friday: No, but try asking the manager nicely
Match Online Prices: Yes, for select competitors (Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com, ToysRUs.com or BabiesRUs.com) and Target.com
Full Terms Here

Walmart

Price Matching for Black Friday: Yes
Match Online Prices: Unclear (WSJ claims yes, but it remains unconfirmed from Walmart itself)
Full Terms Here

Newegg

Price Matching for Black Friday: Yes, on select items bearing the Iron Egg Price Guarantee badge
Match Online Prices: Yes, but not for auction sites
Full Terms Here

Toys "R" Us

Price Matching for Black Friday: No
Match Online Prices: Yes, for some Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.comitems
Full Terms Here

Amazon

Price Matching for Black Friday: No
Match Online Prices: Yes, for select televisions and cell phones
Full Terms Here

Sears

Price Matching for Black Friday: No
Match Online Prices: Yes, for select competitors
Full Terms Here

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Price Matching for Black Friday: Yes (Terms do not indicate Black Friday is exempt)
Match Online Prices: Yes, some conditions apply
Full Terms Here

Read the entire Dealnews blog post here. 

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