Same Cart, Different Price: When the Invisible Hand Becomes an Algorithm (with Lindsay Owens)

About this episode

The episode discusses how Instacart uses pricing experiments to charge different customers varying prices for the same groceries, questioning traditional market theories.

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…

People in this episode

Hosts: Paul, Goldy

Guest: Lindsay Owens

Topics covered

• pricing experiments
• AI in business
• consumer behavior
• market dynamics
• economic policy

Keywords

• Instacart
• pricing experiments
• AI
• consumer pricing
• market theory

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Groundwork Collaborative, Instacart, American Economic Liberties Project, Economic Security Project, Tech Equity, Consumer Reports, More Perfect Union

Books & works: GOUGED: The End of a Fair Price in America, 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.

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