OFFS! New Jersey Becomes Latest State to Pass Law Against Surveillance Pricing By Matt Novak

[justaprogressive]

They’re falling like dominoes now. New Jersey became the latest state to pass a bipartisan law banning surveillance pricing in grocery stores on Tuesday, following the lead of Maryland and Connecticut. New Jersey’s bill, which also places a moratorium on electronic shelf labels, won’t become law until it’s signed by Governor Mikie Sherrill, who’s previously indicated she supports legislation banning surveillance pricing, which she called “outrageous.”

The legislation, known as the Fair Price Protection Act, bans the use of AI or algorithms to adjust the price of goods at grocery stores, both online and in person, to charge people different prices for the same goods. The law also bans so-called surveillance pricing, which involves using a customer’s personal data to set the price of goods individually.

Surveillance pricing has become a hot-button issue in recent years as retailers are now able to set different prices for consumers based on their characteristics or shopping patterns. In just one recent example, Instacart was caught charging almost 25% more for identical items in an experiment the company says it stopped doing. At least a dozen states are considering legislation to regulate surveillance pricing, with New Jersey becoming the latest to actually pass a law.

George Slover, Senior Counsel for Competition Policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, told Gizmodo that New Jersey’s bill only applies to grocery stores and his organization would like to see the surveillance pricing ban expanded to other types of retailers. But Slover says the bill is a good piece of legislation that carves out exemptions for loyalty programs and things like military or senior discounts, one of the concerns that people often raise whenever this kind of law is considered.

https://gizmodo.com/new-jersey-becomes-latest-state-to-pass-law-against-surveillance-pricing-2000780265

[Timewas]

1. Talk About Greed

asshole companies

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. I'm confused by your "OFFS" - isn't this law a good thing? (nt)

[justaprogressive]

6. yes but it shouldn't be necessary!

hence the OFFS...

[hvn_nbr_2]

3. There's something I don't get about surveillance pricing.

Don't people look at the price on the shelf and notice that they charged them a different price at checkout? Obviously not everyone will write down every price and check their bill later, but it seems that a fair number of people would notice and complain or return for a refund.

If a store ever deliberately charges me more than they told me the price was (i.e., it's not just an error), that's a store that won't ever sell me anything again.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. If there's a big sign saying "prices on the shelf may not be accurate", then yes, maybe people will check

and also avoid such a place in the future, if at all possible. But no, at the moment, I think the vast majority of people will assume the price on the shelf is accurate, and will not be writing it down. And if they notice the difference later, no, they might not return for a refund - that being a lot of effort (cost in gas? Cost in your time?) And it sounds like, without laws like this, you wouldn't get a refund.

[Maeve]

8. There are some prices I snap pics of w/my phone

Coffee being one...I've caught errors too many times at checkout and a pic saves time so they don't make me wait while they run back to the shelf
Raised 4 kids on a single salary, I learned to be careful shopping

[ColoringFool]

4. ARE YOU AGAINST THIS LAW?! WHY THE "OFFS"??

Please say you've misapprehended.

[justaprogressive]

7. I'm not against the law...

I'm against the practice and proliferation of surveillance pricing! We shouldn't have to make
laws forbidding this!