On @Instacart’s website, they brag about the pricing experiments they’re playing on users - without shoppers ever knowing.
Our @owenslindsay1 explains how we figured out that Instacart is treating its users like guinea pigs — and how much these experiments can cost shoppers.
A common industry argument we heard at the FTC was that surveillance pricing algorithms would be used to lower prices.
Instead @MorePerfectUS found that surveillance pricing schemes are raising the cost of groceries for some people by as much as $1200 per year.
Watch this 📺
Shoppers may be unaware they're paying as much as 23% more than others for the same grocery items on Instacart, a new analysis says.
New research found that Instacart is charging shoppers different prices — despite ordering the same items from the same store at the same time.
The price differences could amount to an extra $1,200 a year for the average household of four.
Corporate greed is out of control.
A new investigation found that Instacart’s AI-driven pricing experiments can display different prices for the same groceries.
Instacart's AI pricing tools drive up the cost of some groceries, study finds
What you pay is increasingly going to be optimized for what you *can* pay. Personalized pricing is slowly breaking down the notion of a single "market price."
Wonderful piece of investigation by @Groundwork
https://groundworkcollaborative.org/work/instacart/
We are in the midst of the largest grocery affordability crisis in a generation.
And now @Instacart’s pricing tricks are making it worse.
Our @owenslindsay1 breaks down the shocking findings from our investigation into Instacart’s pricing games.
Right now, Instacart is quietly running experiments on millions of us while we shop for groceries online. They are trying to figure out exactly how much they can get away with charging you for breakfast cereal, lunch meat, pasta, and everything in between. How do I know? 1/9
"Based on how much Instacart says the typical household of four spends on groceries, the average price variations observed could translate into a cost swing of about $1,200 per year."
"Instacart repeatedly showed different customers different “original” prices for the same…
Instacart has reportedly been testing an AI pricing strategy that's raising grocery prices up to 23% for some users
>3/4 of tested products were priced differently for different customers
>Price variations ranged from $0.07 to $2.56 per item
>Retailers included Costco, Kroger,…
NEW: Our experts, along with @ConsumerReports and @MorePerfectUS looked into how @Instacart was deciding prices on grocery items across the country.
What we found will shock you.
Maybe the most fascinating finding is that this was occurring with Target, which had no business relationship with Instarcart's pricing consultancy. So it was just Instacart conducting their own optimization for what they could charge on top of Target's flat store price.
🚨New analysis from my colleagues and me at @Groundwork , @TCFdotorg , and @AFTunion finds holiday gifts up 26 percent from last year. @dataforprogress polling shows many families stretching dollars. This analysis contributes to the growing conversation around affordability…
Another banger today from @Groundwork, @TCFdotorg, and @AFTunion.
We compared prices on some of the most popular holiday gifts to this time last year. We found massive increases.
But as Trump says, maybe kids will settle for two dolls instead of 30 this year?
@Groundwork @KatieJWells @ConsumerReports @MorePerfectUS @bencasselman @nytimes When we reached out to Instacart they copped to the experiments– but they said the price hikes are negligible. For families forced to cover groceries on the credit card, or who have to choose between groceries and the electric bill, $1200 a year is NOT negligible. 8/9
