Sears loses $145 to one of its kiosks

Sears loses $145 to one of its kiosks
Tags: Kiosks / Self-Service, Multichannel Retailing, Technology
December 2, 2010

Retailers who wish to offer a product with a price that is different online from the one in store should consider strategies to handle customers who discover the difference at a store kiosk.

According to a blog post on Consumerist.com, a Sears shopper named Leigh wandered up to a kiosk after paying for her new dishwasher. While checking it out, she decided to pull up the appliance. She was surprised to find that the identical unit cost $145 less online than she had just paid in the store.

A sales associate also was surprised, but refunded the difference to her after speculating that the discrepancy was merely a matter of information not being updated in a timely fashion on the site.