A recent study by Groundwork Collaborative highlights concerning pricing practices on grocery delivery app Instacart, revealing that many U.S. shoppers encounter varying prices for identical products. Conducted across four cities, the study involved 437 shoppers who added the same items from retailers like Target and Kroger to their Instacart carts. The findings showed that nearly 75% of items had inconsistent pricing, with one example indicating a carton of Lucerne eggs listed at five different prices. Such discrepancies could lead to an annual cost variation of around $1,200 for consumers. Instacart stated that these pricing tests are controlled and do not utilize personal data, clarifying that price changes aren’t made in real-time. As regulatory scrutiny increases, including a new New York law mandating price disclosure for companies using personal data, lawmakers are pushing for transparency in algorithm-driven pricing practices.
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