Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 219 posts

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#81

Post by t-3 »

lastofthemojito wrote: post #63
crazygringo wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've looked online and can't find any real examples of QR code-only stores. It seems like QR codes are growing in popularity as a way to look up more product details, user reviews, etc. -- especially at electronics stores. But the idea of prices being hidden entirely doesn't seem to exist anywhere in normal consumer stores. There seem to have been some store experiments and retail "concepts" (prototypes not rolled ou…

Here's an example (not mine): https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/1s0n9al/... I also saw this in a gas station convenience store near me but I did not take a photo. I haven't seen it in a real grocery store yet.

There's a store in my neighborhood that only does app purchases and a little robot brings it out to your car. It's nice getting cilantro that hasn't been picked over by a hundred people, but I don't like shopping for groceries online, and AFAIK you can't actually enter the store.

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#82

Post by tt24 »

jbxntuehineoh wrote: post #65
tt24 wrote: post #12

[flagged]

It's so embarrassing that we banned forcing employees to work sixteen hour days without lunch breaks. Just go to another employer. Banning an employment model should be unconstitutional.

[flagged]

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#83

Post by tt24 »

everdrive wrote: post #53
tt24 wrote: post #12

[flagged]

How much my food costs is quite consequential, and I think it's very important to understand whether or not a business has some hackneyed algorithm that tells them to charge me 50% more than the man standing next to me.

Why is it a bad thing that the man next to you pays 50% less?

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#85

Post by Starman_Jones »

alt_4577 wrote: post #58
Starman_Jones wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maryland’s crime solutions are working, and have been for some time. It’s in metaphorical maintenance mode, rather than needing active development.

Maryland minus Baltimore? Seems like Baltimore is in the top 10 for violent crimes, but drops to #12 for murder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_b...

That’s great news for a city that used to consistently be top 3.

>> Since 2021 homicide numbers have down trended, reaching a 13-year low of 201 in 2024. Between 2021 and November 2025 there was a 61% reduction in homicides. In 2025 Baltimore recorded 133 homicides, its lowest in nearly 50 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Baltimore

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#86

Post by tt24 »

Ritewut wrote: post #75
tt24 wrote: post #12

[flagged]

Many people do not have more than 1 grocery store as an option.

Good point, we should regulate pricing models in service of the 0.000001 percent of people that live in places like Kingman, Arizona.

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#87

Post by everdrive »

tt24 wrote: post #83
everdrive wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much my food costs is quite consequential, and I think it's very important to understand whether or not a business has some hackneyed algorithm that tells them to charge me 50% more than the man standing next to me.

Why is it a bad thing that the man next to you pays 50% less?

It's only good for the man. It's not good for me. If you think I'm selfish, then you have no guarantee that it's the other man who would pay more and only I would get the discount.

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#88

Post by lmkg »

toast0 wrote: post #69
crazygringo wrote: post #44

Sadly, this article doesn't explain how this "surveillance pricing" (which is just a scarier-sounding synonym for "dynamic pricing") would even work in a physical grocery store. Like, prices are displayed on the shelf for everyone to see. And they have to match what you pay at checkout. So how the heck would a grocery store even do this? And this law is specifically around grocery stores . Like, there was a big kerfu…

> Like, there was a big kerfuffle a while ago about how Wendy's was going to engage in dynamic pricing so that a burger would be cheaper during the slow period at e.g. 3-4 pm, compared to the lunch rush. But that wasn't personalized. And the outcry was so strong they never did it, no law needed. That's crazy that people were kerfuffled over it as stated. Restaurants very commomly have early bird and happy hour specia…

The difference is that early-bird pricing is transparent and predictable. There is a written, known policy of $X discount during specific hours. You can plan for it. It's never a surprise.

Dynamic pricing means sometimes you go there, and Wendy's decides on the fly whether you get a lower price and how much. It gives Wendy's the option to pinch pennies how they see fit for their own benefit, rather than offering a deal which you can choose to accept.

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#89

Post by cute_boi »

dfxm12 wrote: post #3

Just going to Aldi and shopping for yourself insulates you from this nonsense, no? ETA: Aldi here is representing any store without a loyalty program

Sometimes, you may not have an Aldi near you. Also, many people may not have the luxury of going to grocery stores because they have to work in an office for 8–9 hours.

Re: Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

#90

Post by iamnothere »

snide wrote: post #51
crazygringo wrote: post #44

Sadly, this article doesn't explain how this "surveillance pricing" (which is just a scarier-sounding synonym for "dynamic pricing") would even work in a physical grocery store. Like, prices are displayed on the shelf for everyone to see. And they have to match what you pay at checkout. So how the heck would a grocery store even do this? And this law is specifically around grocery stores . Like, there was a big kerfu…

Stores are now putting QR codes for pricing, not listing the prices out on stickers/paper. You check on your phone, and often times walk through "scan and go" making direct payment on your phone. This is often done in stores where they say that prices can change daily, and that these tools help them keep prices up to date. The darker pattern is what this law prevents, and that even with this sort of labeling, they ca…

I think this would be illegal in many places. A number of states require prices to be visibly posted, and some also require unit price to be shown.
Post reply on HN