Argos has been a staple in the United Kingdom for many years, providing high-quality consumer products and technology at reasonable prices.
Does Argos Price Match?
Unfortunately, Argos has never offered a price-matching service. Whereas other companies might match or try to beat a competitor’s product prices, Argos sells products at the recommended retail price.
This is probably because they do not have similarly minded competitors in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, allowing them to charge the full price for the products and still ensure a customer base.
Remaining Competitive
Despite not offering price matching, there are several things Argos do to remain competitive in the ever-changing marketplace.
Sales
Argos run sales at specific times of the year.
One predominant period is after Christmas time during the January sales, where much of the left over stock is then sold at a reduced time for an extended period.
This usually lasts until February, and is a great time to pick up bargains that would have been more expensive before Christmas.
Clearance
There are also Argos clearance stores in certain locations, stocking remnants of past product lines that interested people can purchase at a drastically reduced rate.
Whilst not commonplace around the country, they are worth looking out for, as bargains might be found amongst the stock.
Price Adjustments
In an ever changing and competitive market, Argos adjusts its prices accordingly to remain relevant and popular on the market.
Same Day Delivery
If you file your online order by 6pm at the latest, you have the chance to receive your chosen product by 10pm on the same day.
This is true of urban and rural markets, and the company has engaged in widespread career drives in the last few years to enable this to happen.
However, this only applies to certain items, which will say “fasttrack” if eligible.
Nectar Points
You can collect and spend Nectar points at Argos, which is a handy way to use those points you’ve accumulated. 500 Nectar points are worth £2.50. You can spend a maximum of 100,000 Nectar points (£500) in one transaction.
Use Cashback sites
Cashback sites like Quidco offer up to 5% cashback on Argos purchases. It definitely pays to check out the top UK cashback sites to compare their rates. Here are our top picks: 10 Best Cashback Sites in the UK
History
Founded in 1972 by Richard Tompkins, the previous owner of the Green Shield Stamps initiative (wherein customers could save stamps and use them to purchase goods), Argos is a catalog store, allowing customers to order items and pay with cash.
Named after the real life Greek town Argos, the oldest inhabited township in the world, and a famed location in the Peloponnese region, Argos has become a popular mainstay in the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland.
Building on his Green Shield Stamp catalog system, Tompkins realized that people enjoyed the catalog shopping experience from home, but didn’t necessarily want to have to wait and save up the necessary stamps.
This led to the change in company and business model in 1972, offering similar products and goods, whilst allowing customers to instead use money to pay for them.
Services
Since their inception, Argos have provided several different services and business models, ranging from a home catalog, a television ordering service called “Argos TV”, physical stores, and item collection points.
Catalogue Stores
Their current business model is primarily based around physical stores, usually located within the nearest Sainsbury’s supermarket, thanks to a recent acquisition in 2016.
Using home catalogs for people to freely take, and in-store digital computers for people to search for specific products, the system used to involve customers searching for the item number, making a note of it and the quantity on a purchase form (using their stereotypical small, blue pens), before taking it to the cashier for payment.
Under the current system, the order system is digital and requires customers to locate the product on the in-store computers, add it to a digital order, before transmitting it to the cashiers, who will then process the payment.
Online Business
A large proportion of Argos’ business is also done online.
With the full range of products available on their website, and the ability to have goods delivered to your doorstep (as well as collected from the store), Argos developed their business model to compete with modern rivals such as Amazon.
This is also useful for customers purchasing large ticket items, such as televisions, as the home delivery service means a delivery person can bring the item to their home, saving them from having to carry it home themselves.
Collection Points
Along with the acquisition by Sainsbury’s, smaller Argos collection points were established in certain stores.
Whilst they were not capable of stocking the full range of products on the premises, customers could use the online ordering service to arrange for their chosen item to be delivered to their local collection point.
Then they can collect it at their convenience.
Products
Offering a wide range of products, Argos stocks big-name brands, as well as independent and own brands affiliated with the company.
Some of these brands include: Challenge, Visiq, Pro Action, Cookworks, Beanstalk, Pro Fitness, Opticom, Grosvenor, Steamworks, Aquarius, Coolworks, Elevation, Acoustic Solutions, Mega Games, and the now-out-of-business Elizabeth Duke.
In 2009, they also acquired several independent brands, such as: Alba, Bush, and Chad Valley.
Financial Assistance
There are also specified ways and means that the company handles payments.
Argos Financial Services
Before the acquisition by Sainsbury’s, Argos ran a system called Argos Financial Services, which allowed for the purchase of large ticket items in smaller instalments over a defined period of time.
Following the acquisition, this process became integrated into Sainsbury’s Bank, the company’s own financial aid system.
Final Thoughts
And there we have everything you need to know about Argos stores, the services they offer, and the financial systems they have in place.
Whilst not offering price matching, Argos has remained a popular mainstay on the British and Irish markets, offering high-quality products at reasonable prices and establishing themselves as a key feature on most high streets in the process.