In order to retain customers, companies like Costco often use price matching, which is basically a policy where a store will match a competitor's lower price for the same item. However, one Reddit user recently shared that they wanted to buy a new window air conditioner from a Costco store, and the price at the store was $229, while Costco’s online price was $189.

Reasonably, the user wanted to pay the online rate, but the store refused to match the price. Reddit user CostcoSampleBoy, a self-professed employee of Costco explained, "The online "store" has its own buyers and sales separate from brick-and-mortar stores. Essentially they may have higher prices because they can't buy at the same level as our stores can."