Are Stores Charging YOU More? AI, Surveillance Pricing & Personalized Prices (268)

ARE STORES CHARGING YOU MORE? 👀💰 What if two people shop for the exact same product, at the exact same time, from the exact same company… and see two different prices? AI-powered pricing tools are changing how businesses determine prices, discounts and promotions. Regulators are now asking a much bigger question: Should companies be allowed to use what they know about YOU to decide what YOU pay? ☕ Dynamic pricing 🧠 AI algorithms 📍 Location data 🛒 Shopping history 💻 Browsing behavior 💰 Personalized prices Dominique & Erica are spilling the tea on surveillance pricing, the FTC investigation, grocery pricing experiments and what consumers can do to protect themselves. 🎙️ Spill the Tea with D & E; Question of the day: Would you be okay with personalized pricing if the company was required to tell you? 📝 YOUR SPILL-THE-TEA HOMEWORK Pick three products you regularly purchase online. Check the price: While logged into your account. Logged out or in a private browser. On the retailer’s app if you normally use the website, or vice versa. At one competing retailer. Don’t assume a difference proves surveillance pricing. Shipping, location, promotions, membership status, inventory and timing can all affect prices. The goal is simply to discover something most of us stopped doing in the age of one-click shopping: comparison shopping. #️⃣ HASHTAGS: #SpillTheTeaWithDE, #SpillTheTea, #SurveillancePricing, #PersonalizedPricing, #AIPricing, #ArtificialIntelligence, #AI, #ConsumerProtection, #ConsumerAwareness, #DynamicPricing, #AlgorithmicPricing, #GroceryPrices, #Inflation, #CostOfLiving, #Privacy, #DataPrivacy, #OnlineShopping, #SmartShopping, #RetailTechnology, #FTC, #CaliforniaConsumers, #ConsumerRights, #DigitalPrivacy, #TechNews, #MoneyTalk, #Podcast, #PodcastEpisode, #DominiqueAndErica, #SantaBarbaraWellnessCenter 🎵 MUSIC CREDIT: Music Copyright © Santa Barbara Wellness Center, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 🎙️ PRODUCTION NOTES: Editorial Note: Surveillance pricing, dynamic pricing, randomized price testing and personalized discounts are not interchangeable terms. This episode intentionally distinguishes among them. The FTC’s investigation demonstrates that technologies capable of using individualized consumer data in pricing exist, but it does not establish that every retailer using AI-based pricing is engaging in surveillance pricing. (Federal Trade Commission⁠) Research Updated: August 21, 2026. 🌿🍵 The Last Sip 🍵🌿 Before we put the kettle away and head back into the adventure of everyday life, we’d like to leave you with one final thought: Wellness isn’t something you buy. It’s something you build. One conversation, one healthy choice, one act of kindness, one deep breath, and sometimes one cup of tea at a time. If today’s conversation inspired you, encouraged you, or simply made you smile, we invite you to support the work of Santa Barbara Wellness Center, Inc., a nonprofit organization started in 2015, dedicated to helping people cultivate healthier bodies, calmer minds, stronger communities, and more meaningful lives. Your tax-deductible donations help support wellness education, community programs, mindfulness initiatives, and projects that encourage people to thrive rather than merely survive. To learn more or make a contribution, visit: SBWellness.org Because a healthier community begins with people who care enough to plant seeds today for a better tomorrow. Until next time, keep your cup full, your heart open, and remember… The world may be complicated, but sharing tea and sharing wisdom are still wonderfully simple. 🌱 This is Dominique and Erica saying