Both Wal-Mart and Target have competitors price match policies in place. Wal-Mart's has been around for years; Target's is new this year. Here's how it works. You collect the ads from the local newspaper, whether it's torn out from a the news section or a circular from Sunday's paper. (Ads must be current, not expired, and complete.) For example, you could select items on sale in the Best Buy, Walgreens, Cub and Rainbow ads. (A big time saver.) Then you pick up those items at Target and take them along with the circulars or ads to Guest Services for a match.

But beware the exclusions. There are plenty.

1. Buy one, get one free.

2. Non-branded items such as green grapes unless Target and the competitor specify Dole green grapes or a similar brand.

3. Target's own prices at another Target. It burns shoppers when they discover that the Target in Apple Valley has a higher price on a camera than the one in Bloomington. It happens often when a Wal-Mart is nearby. It's irritating, but no retailer, including Wal-Mart, will match a price at a different location within the same chain. Can you imagine the amount of time it would take to verify each price difference? Complain away, but it's never going to change.

4. Store brands such as Walgreens brand of aspirin.

5. Store coupons such as $5 for a 24-pack of Coke at Cub.

6. Online prices including Target.com.

7. Free product such as "Buy Cheerios and get a gallon of Kemps milk free."

8. Limited quantity or time items. For example, "Limit three 12 packs of Pepsi for $3 each" or "Prices good only from 6 to 10 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving."

9. Sales tax promos such as "We pay the sales tax."

10. Prices from liquidations or going-out-of-business sales

11. Others: Bundle offers, special orders, special financing, and membership clubs such as Costco or loyalty programs.

Try the match yourself and let me know how it worked. (Or didn't.)