Market Systems, yo!

I don't really have any particular personal connections to a market economy - no one in my family has started a business, or lost a job and had to move (that I'm aware of). I haven't had a job in any market economy business, either, although I hope to change that. I do hold the opinion that it is a good system of market, though, for many reasons also found in the book. Despite having its ups and downs, it overall seems like it is effective and efficient.
Market economies are good because, quite often, they help the buyers get lower prices from competing companies, or specific goods that they want. Since the companies rely on the buyers for income, they are more driven to produce the things that we want, as opposed to control systems. Being controlled by the government, the control system has no competition, and thus is less concerned for the happiness of the consumer. Market systems are very concerned with the happiness of the consumer and trying to provide what they want in order to attract the buyers attention away from other competitors business.
An example that I can think of is from a few ads I saw over the weekend. The Christmas shopping season is starting up (Already? Dear lord.) and I saw an ad sheet for Toys R Us and Target, each advertising Avengers merchandise. Among the deals, they had the same exact large action figures displayed; at Toys R Us, they were sold for $17.99, but at Target, they were only $17. Not much of a difference, but I thought it amusing that there was that difference. Not only that, but the actual Avengers DVD coming out tomorrow seemed like a better deal at Target. The Blue-Ray 2 disc at Toys R Us was $22.99, but at Target, the 2 disc Blue-Ray (plus 90 minutes of bonus footage, I'm not certain if the Toys R Us one had that) was only $19.99. If I were shopping for these things (Which I am. Avengers will be mine.) I would definitely choose to go to Target over Toys R Us.

Before businesses reveal sale prices for the Christmas season, are they able to find out what price other businesses are selling the same thing for (such as the action figures)?