We all want the best deal when it comes to shopping for various goods and services. Some people trust that certain individual stores always have the 'best' deal, while those, like me, are always on the hunt to find the lowest price. Working at Staples, I usually am the first to know about price cuts on products that I consider to be most useful, like paper towels, cleaning supplies, tape and glue, and even various electronics. Though, I usually find that, even with my 10 to 20 percent off discount, I am not getting the best deal. As a part-time working, scraping the bucket for an unattractive income, as well as having college debts hang over my head, it frustrated me when I waste money.

Luckily, I have become smarter in the way I shop. I compare prices before I purchase products, and I have used my company's somewhat inclusive list of companies we price match to always try and get the best deals. To start, Staples will match any store/company that has "brick-n-mortar" stores, like, for example, CVS or Ocean State Job Lot. In this article, I want to share with you, the reader(s), 5 of my top recommended companies to price match when purchasing goods at Staples.

1. Staples.com

Yes, you read that correctly. In-store and on-line deals vary greatly, so package of Bounty paper towels could be regular list price in store, while on-line it could be listed for 15% off. this is my second most visited place to check for price differences.

2. Amazon

Amazon.com, apart from Quill.com, is our only real exception to the brick-n-mortar rule. Though, when price matching from their website, you have to make sure the item(s) is(are) sold and shipped by Amazon, otherwise the price match is invalid. As a Prime member, I find this quite useful, since most of the items have additional lowered prices.

3. Walmart

It is no surprise that Walmart stores will usually have pretty low prices on mostly everything they sell. Though, I have usually had quite a bit of luck finding many items much cheaper on their on-line website. For me, this is usually my go to place for finding the cheapest priced items. I usually have luck finding Tide detergent, various dish soaps, and printer inks at much more reasonable prices than I do at my Staples store.

4. Barnes and Noble

Fun fact: did you that Staples.com also sells a variety of books? Neither did I until just recently. I was curious to see through their assortment and find items that Barnes and Noble sold and, soon enough, I found a few titles, which were, unsurprisingly much cheaper on the bookstore's website, than our own. However, knowing this, you can try to find a book, or books, that both Barnes and Noble sells, as well as Staples, and come in to use our in-store kiosks to purchase. When you pay for your on-line purchase at the registers, that is when you will be able to price match the order. So, will I be taking advantage of well discounted diet and exorcise books? You bet I will!

5. Target

If I had a dime for every customer that has told me they found a product at Target for much less and will instead shop their, I would be rich enough to no longer need to work in retail. Though, I completely understand, you, like me, want to save. I get that, I do. Our prices are not very glamorous, but I have a proposition. What if I told you we could price match Target? Believe me, it saves time, gas, and money, which is what I love. The only main difference I find between Target and Walmart is that Target usually has cheaper back-to-school related items, including Avery brand products, which is a plus because we offer a 110% price match during the back-to-school season on school supplies.

I hope you find this small list of places to possibly price match from as a helpful tool the next time you shop. If you are a true penny pincher, then take it from me, Staples will fight to have the lowest prices and the best bargains on various items, you just may have to go the extra mile or put in the extra work to make that deal happen.