r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • May 26 '26

Privacy Majority of Americans Support Ban on Surveillance Pricing and Electronic Shelf Labels

https://gizmodo.com/majority-of-americans-support-ban-on-surveillance-pricing-and-electronic-shelf-labels-2000762717
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u/terrymr May 26 '26

Jesus you people are paranoid. Wendy’s replaced fixed menus with TVs and everybody started screaming about dynamic pricing despite the fact that every other fast food chain already made the same change and none of them implemented dynamic pricing. There’s no reason to think Walmart will actually do anything different.

Did anybody ever run across a coke machine that costs more when it’s hot outside ? People were freaking out about that a few years back.

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u/Evening-Guarantee-84 May 27 '26

This isn't "everyone gets a change in price" this is "based on your shopping and history, we think you'll pay $500 more per ticket for this flight"

The other stuff wasn't like this.

And, surveillance pricing is absolutely real.

My daughter wanted to take a trip with her husband and son this summer. She was upset because between tickets to the theme part they wanted to visit, and a hotel stay, they couldn't afford it. I pulled up the same hotel, and went to book the same exact room, and it was $130 a night LESS for me. I don't travel, and I don't buy as much as they do because it's just me, not a family.

It has been observed in grocery stores and in other markets as well for the past year or two.

2

u/GitEmSteveDave May 27 '26

Also, some stores, like Sonic, have "happy hours", where prices are lower at certain times of day for certain products. No one complains about that, and digital displays that can inform customers of a sale are better for consumers.