The other day, my daughter was in town for an event, and we went to a department store together so she could pick out a dress. While she shopped, I browsed the store and saw a display of jeans on sale for $22 per pair. I really liked the style and color of them, but I couldn’t find a pair in my size anywhere on the rack.

I took a picture of the jeans’ tag with its product number and brand so that I could go online later and try to find a pair in my size. That evening, when I found the same jeans online, I was surprised to see that the same jeans were on sale for $18 online. The store’s site was also offering free shipping, so I ended up purchasing the same jeans for four dollars less than I would have earlier in the day in the physical store.

How common is this? Surprisingly, it’s something I’ve noticed with increasing frequency over the past year. Consider that the overhead costs of staffing and stocking a physical store, as well as renting space in a mall or shopping center, is greater than that of a warehouse that ships out items via mail order. While retailers that have both physical stores and online presences don’t have to pass lower prices along to the shoppers that choose to make their purchases online, some are doing so.

Of course, there are benefits to purchasing in-store too. You can touch and feel the fabric, try the clothing on for size, and enjoy the experience of browsing clothing racks instead of swiping through images. You can put outfits together and try everything on at once – especially helpful if, like my daughter, you’re trying to find a dress and shoes for a wedding you’re attending!

My readers have noticed similar price differences between shopping online and shopping in-store at the same retailer. Here’s a story from reader Ellie:

<strong>Dear Jill:</strong> Please tell me what you think of this. I went to a well-known national department store’s website to look for a jacket. I found several that I like, but because I am tall, the length is always a concern. I screenshotted images of the jackets I wanted to see in person and headed to the store. I went to the store, tried them on and found one that really fit well. However, the price in store was nearly ten dollars more than the online price for the same jacket. I thought it was kind of silly that I could have the jacket shipped to the store free of charge and pay less for that than I could pay to take it home. I didn’t need the jacket right away, so I opted to have one shipped to the store a few days later. It did seem odd to me though that they just wouldn’t match the price and sell me the one hanging on the rack for the lower price. <strong>— Ellie B.</strong>

I agree that it does seem, to us consumers, that it would be easier to simply reduce the price of the jacket in store and sell it to you on the spot. However, the store likely views their in-store inventory differently than their warehouse inventory. They may have a policy against matching online prices as well.

That said, if saving the most money was the goal (and for me, it almost always is – so I understand!) then having the less-expensive jacket shipped to your store was the best deal financially.

How do we know when an online price might be better than the in-store price for the same item? Unfortunately, it’s difficult to say. In my experience, the majority of the stores I shop with both physical and online presences have the same prices most of the time. However, if you see an online deal that’s sweeter than the one in store, enjoy that additional bit of savings.