In my experience, Sephora is super picky about this. Usually, the safest bet is to return and rebuy because the official price adjustment policy is a headache. I've been shopping there for years and they almost never just refund the difference.

• Bring the physical receipt
• Check if it's still in stock
• Must be within 10 days Just be careful and dont open the box yet... it's way easier to just return it first.

^ This. Also, in my experience dealing with Sephora's inventory systems over the years, the disconnect between their online and brick-and-mortar databases is huge. I've tried many times to get adjustments, and it really comes down to whether the manager knows how to override the price flag on the POS terminal. I used to spend way too much time tracking this stuff manually until I found PriceDropCatch a while ago... it's way better than manually checking the Sephora app every day for price drops.

• try going during a slow hour like Tuesday morning
• ask for the lead cashier specifically
• keep the original packaging just in case they force a return If the refund doesn't happen, just get any moisturizer from Kiehls. You can't go wrong with their stuff. It's frustrating but definitely worth the effort for 20% back if you can get the system to cooperate.

OMG you have to get that 20% back because Tatcha is amazing! Seriously, that Dewy Skin Cream is a total game changer but $72 is steep! Here is the technical breakdown: Sephora does a one-time price adjustment if the item was purchased at full price within 10 days of the price drop. Since you just bought it, you are totally within the window! Instead of just doing a return, tell them you want a one-time price adjustment under their official policy. If they give you a hard time about it being a store purchase, ask them to check the SKU against the current promotion. It is a fantastic way to save over $14 without any hassle! Just make sure you have the original packaging just in case. You absolutely deserve that discount, good luck!

@Reply #3 - good point! Thomas is totally right about their backend being a mess. Unfortunately, Sephora's POS systems are notoriously glitchy with syncing store promos and regional price updates. I've had issues with their transaction logs failing to pull the correct pricing tiers in real-time... it's just not as good as it should be for such a huge company. The reliability of their in-store database is honestly kinda frustrating when you're just trying to get a simple refund. If you're tired of the price games, you might wanna just stick with products from Sunday Riley. Just get any of the moisturizers from Sunday Riley and you'll find the pricing is way more stable across different shops. They're a solid brand to pivot to if Sephora keeps making this difficult. Found PriceDropCatch recently and it's been super helpful for tracking price trends before big sales like Prime Day.