Short answer: none of the four is cheapest on everything. Amazon and Walmart usually sit closest on identical items. Target is often a little higher and makes it up with Circle offers and the 5% RedCard discount. Best Buy can look expensive until you use its price match, which covers Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Walmart and Target no longer match other stores at all.
For a lot of U.S. carts, the choice is Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, or Target. They overlap on TVs, toys, and toothpaste, then diverge on groceries, Geek Squad, and whether you can pick it up in an hour. Below: who price matches whom, where each one tends to be cheaper, and a simple way to check the item you actually want.
Who price matches whom (as of September 2026)
| Store | Matches competitors? | The fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Best Buy | Yes, including Amazon, Walmart, and Target | Identical new item, sold and shipped by the retailer itself, not a marketplace seller. At checkout or within 15 days of purchase. Open-box, refurbished, and clearance are excluded. |
| Target | No, since July 28, 2025 | Matches its own lower price (Target.com or store) within 14 days of purchase. |
| Walmart | No | Stores will match Walmart.com on an identical item. Not Amazon, not Target. |
| Amazon | No | Amazon does not match other retailers. Its own prices move on their own, often. |
Policies change. Check Best Buy’s qualified competitors and Target’s price match page before you drive to a store with a screenshot.
Does Best Buy price match Amazon?
Yes, if Amazon itself sells and ships the item. A third-party seller on Amazon does not count, and the model number has to be the same. This is the practical reason to buy electronics at Best Buy: you get Amazon’s price and Best Buy’s return desk. It only works if you know Amazon’s price changed.
Does Target price match Amazon or Walmart?
Not anymore. Target ended competitor price matching in July 2025. If Target’s own price drops within 14 days of your purchase, it will refund the difference. That is the whole policy now.
Does Walmart price match Amazon?
No. A Walmart store will match Walmart.com for an identical item, one match a day, and the manager has the final word. Other retailers’ prices are not part of it.
Is Walmart cheaper than Target?
On groceries and household staples, usually. On a specific toy, blender, or pair of jeans, often not by much, and sometimes Target wins once Circle offers apply. The 5% RedCard discount never shows up on any product page, so a comparison that ignores it undersells Target for people who have the card. Compare the exact item, not the store reputation.
Amazon vs Walmart vs Best Buy vs Target, in practice
Selection
Amazon is the widest catalog, including a lot of third-party sellers. Walmart is strong on groceries and household staples, with a smaller marketplace. Best Buy is electronics and appliances. Target is a curated mix — fashion, home, kids — plus a limited marketplace.
Price
Treat list price as a starting point. Amazon’s algorithms move often. Walmart watches Amazon closely on many SKUs. Target runs Circle deals and a 5% RedCard cut that never shows up on a competitor’s product page. Best Buy’s sticker can look high until price match or an open-box listing.
Getting the item
Prime is still the default for two-day (and faster in many cities). Walmart+ is the grocery and next-day answer. Best Buy and Target win when the SKU is on a nearby shelf — pickup in an hour beats any tracker.
Returns and help
Amazon’s drop-off network is easy; the window is usually about 30 days. Walmart and Target are often around 90 days for general merchandise, shorter for electronics. Best Buy’s standard window is short unless you pay for a membership. Geek Squad is the reason some people pay Best Buy’s sticker on a laptop.
How you pay
Amazon does not take PayPal at checkout. The other three generally do. Target is the most open to buy-now-pay-later brands. Store cards (Prime Visa, Walmart, Best Buy, RedCard) are their own discount layer.
Memberships
- Amazon Prime: shipping plus video and the rest of the bundle.
- Walmart+: delivery from the store and free shipping thresholds gone.
- My Best Buy Plus and Total: longer returns, member prices, Geek Squad on Total.
- Target Circle is free; RedCard is the 5% and free shipping lever.
Who are Best Buy’s competitors?
For the same TV or laptop: Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Costco, then specialists like B&H Photo, Micro Center, Crutchfield, and Apple for its own products. Best Buy’s own price match list is a good map of who it considers a competitor — it also includes Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s.
A sane way to choose
- Obscure SKU, lots of reviews, need it shipped: start with Amazon, then check Walmart.
- Weekly groceries: Walmart or Target, not Best Buy.
- Laptop or TV you want to see or get help with: Best Buy, with Amazon’s price in hand for the match.
- Home and clothes you already like at Target: stay there and use RedCard if you shop there anyway.
How to compare one item across all four without refreshing tabs
Price match only helps if you notice the lower price. PriceSense does the noticing. You add the product pages from whichever stores you use, grouped as one product — up to three stores on Free, two on Premium, five on Pro. We check those URLs weekly on Free or daily on paid plans, then email or push when the advertised price changed.
It will not tell you about a two-hour Lightning Deal, apply your RedCard, or know whether Target had it for Drive Up. It sees the number on the page you pasted. Paid history (30 days or six months) is how you see whether a “deal” is just Tuesday. Free has no history. See the three plans.
Cross-checking two or three pages is enough. You do not need a fourth membership to win a $4 gap.
If you sell the same products
Shoppers who compare these four rarely pay more than the lowest of them, and Best Buy will match the others on request. If you sell electronics, toys, or home goods that they also carry, their prices are the ones your product page is compared against. Our guide to competitor price monitoring covers how to watch them without refreshing tabs, and what to do when a big retailer undercuts you.
Watch a competitor page yourself
Free covers one product and three sellers. Email and app alerts when the price changes.
Questions we get
Does Amazon price match other stores?
No. Amazon does not match prices from Walmart, Target, Best Buy, or anyone else. Its own prices change often, so the same item can be cheaper tomorrow without any request from you.
Does Best Buy price match Amazon marketplace sellers?
No. Best Buy only matches items sold and shipped by the competitor itself. A third-party seller on Amazon or Walmart.com does not qualify, and the item has to be new and the same model.
Can I get a price adjustment after I buy?
At Best Buy, within 15 days of purchase if the price drops or a qualified competitor is lower. At Target, within 14 days, but only if Target’s own price drops. Walmart’s price match happens at the register, against Walmart.com.
Which store is cheapest for electronics?
There is no single answer. Amazon and Walmart are often closest on identical models, and Best Buy will match both. Compare the exact model number on each store’s page, then buy where the return policy and support suit you.