Target kicks off the holiday price wars

The competition for retailers selling online just got a lot more intense with a new price-match policy from Target just ahead of the prime holiday shopping season.

Beginning Oct. 1, Target will price-match the websites of 29 major retailers in stores and for purchases from their website.

The new policy expands price-matching beyond the online outlets of local retailers with physical stores. This means that even if a customer lives in a city without a Buy Buy Baby store, for example, the customer can still get the Buy Buy Baby price at their local Target. This is also the first time Target will match online prices from warehouse clubs, such as Costco and Sam’s Club.

“It’s what companies have to do in this new world of retail,” Edward Jones retail analyst Brian Yarbrough told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “Pricing has become so transparent over the last few years.”

Target’s new policy is following the lead of Walmart, Best Buy and Staples, all of which match their online prices with online rivals. Target’s new policy also includes a longer time frame of 14 days to get a price adjustment, up from seven days.

Here’s the full list of Target’s new online price-matching retailers: Amazon, Babies "R" Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Buy Buy Baby, Costco, CVS, Diapers.com, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Drugstore.com, GameStop, J.C. Penney, Kmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Newegg, Office Depot, Petco, Petsmart, Sam’s Club, Sears, Sports Authority, Staples, Toys "R" Us, Ulta, Walgreens, Walmart, and Wayfair.