Same Cart, Different Price: When the Invisible Hand Becomes an Algorithm (with Lindsay Owens)
The price you see online might not be the real price.
A new investigation found that Instacart was quietly running pricing experiments—charging different customers different prices for the same groceries at the same time.
This week, Paul and Goldy talk with Groundwork Collaborative Executive Director Lindsay Owens about how companies are using AI and massive data sets to run experiments on consumers—testing exactly how much each of us is willing to pay.
And if every shopper sees a different price, one big question follows:
Do markets still work the way economists say they do?
Lindsay Owens is the Executive Director of the economic think tank Groundwork Collaborative and author of the forthcoming book, GOUGED: The End of a Fair Price in America.
Further Reading:
Same Cart, Different Price: Instacart’s Price Experiments Cost Families at Checkout
We Had 400 People Shop For Groceries. What We Found Will Shock You.
Gouged: The End of a Fair Price--and What That Means for Your Wallet
Social Media:
BlueSky: @lindsayowens.bsky.social
Instagram: @lindsayowensphd
TikTok: @lindsayowensphd
Twitter: @owenslindsay1
BlueSky: @groundwork.bsky.social
Twitter: @Groundwork
Organizations developing policy on surveillence pricing:
American Economic Liberties Project
Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
Facebook: Pitchfork Economics Podcast
Bluesky: @pitchforkeconomics.bsky.social
Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics
Threads: pitchforkeconomics
TikTok: @pitchfork_econ
YouTube: @pitchforkeconomics
LinkedIn: Pitchfork Economics
Twitter: @PitchforkEcon, @NickHanauer
Substack: The Pitch
More description
The price you see online might not be the real price.
A new investigation found that Instacart was quietly running pricing experiments—charging different customers different prices for the same groceries at the same time.
This week, Paul and Goldy talk with Groundwork Collaborative Executive Director Lindsay Owens about how companies are using AI and massive data sets to run experiments on consumers—testing exactly how much each of us is willing to pay.
And if every shopper sees a different price, one big question follows:
Do markets still work the way economists say they do?
Lindsay Owens is the Executive Director of the economic think tank Groundwork Collaborative and author of the forthcoming book, GOUGED: The End of a Fair Price in America.
Further Reading:
Same Cart, Different Price: Instacart’s Price Experiments Cost Families at Checkout
We Had 400 People Shop For Groceries. What We Found Will Shock You.
Gouged: The End of a Fair Price--and What That Means for Your Wallet
Social Media:
BlueSky: @lindsayowens.bsky.social
Instagram: @lindsayowensphd
TikTok: @lindsayowensphd
Twitter: @owenslindsay1
BlueSky: @groundwork.bsky.social
Twitter: @Groundwork
Organizations developing policy on surveillence pricing:
American Economic Liberties Project
Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
Facebook: Pitchfork Economics Podcast
Bluesky: @pitchforkeconomics.bsky.social
Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics
Threads: pitchforkeconomics
TikTok: @pitchfork_econ
YouTube: @pitchforkeconomics
LinkedIn: Pitchfork Economics
Twitter: @PitchforkEcon, @NickHanauer
Substack: The Pitch
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