Variable Pricing on Instacart

[Axtremus]

Study confirms that different Instacart shoppers who picked the same item from the same store at the same time have been charged different prices.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/business/instacart-algorithmic-pricing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7U8.ID3Z.eW_vHBG0G4lS

Instacart says the stores are running pricing experiments. Some stores denied this. Other stores stayed mum.

Maybe Liz and Bernie have a point about retailers price gouging after all.

[Mik]

Instacart's business model has been to gouge the customer since day one. I won't use them.

There was talk about Kroger using variable pricing, but I see no evidence they ever actually did it.