Big corporations shouldn’t be able to use your data to decide how much you pay at the till.
You’re on an Iphone and they’re on an Android. You look up the price. You’ve looked up this product in the past, your neighbour hasn’t. Now, you’re shown a price of $24.99, they’re shown $17.99.
Surveillance Pricing is when companies use your personal data to decide how much to charge you in order to maximize profit.
Every time you look up something online, every time you open your grocery store app or search the price of an item you desperately need, corporations are collecting your data to use in the future.
This practice allows companies to target you based on everything from your shopping habits, to purchase history, to location, to the type of device you’re on, often using this information to exploit your willingness to pay a certain price.
The result? An increase in corporate profits that helps big grocery chains and hurts your wallet.
This isn’t widespread in British Columbia — yet. But the technology is here already, including electronic shelf labels, and the AI algorithms that scrape personal data.
We need to stand firmly against this practice before it reaches our stores and wreaks havoc.
Everyone should pay the same price for the same product at any time. But with surveillance pricing, you may be charged more than your neighbour because an algorithm thinks you will pay that price. At a time where working people are already feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis and grocery prices continue to rise, this inequality will deepen the blow.
Your personal data is being used by corporations to make a profit. Corporations are collecting more information than ever to study your personal habits — and using it to determine what you’ll pay.
When shoppers feel like they’re being treated unfairly, frontline workers often bear the brunt of that frustration. Surveillance pricing if allowed to take place, can create more conflict in stores, resulting in increased threats to worker safety.
We are committed to fighting for fairness for retail workers.
That’s why, UFCW 1518 stands firmly against surveillance pricing.
We’re calling for legislation in BC to ban surveillance pricing and ensure strong protections for consumers and workers.
We call for transparent & fair pricing.
So everyone pays the same price for the same product.
Yes. Currently, there are no provincial or federal laws that ban surveillance pricing. While provinces like Manitoba are pushing for legislation, retailers in BC have the flexibility to deploy surveillance pricing.
Corporations collect your personalized data such as your spending habits, dietary preferences, and even your search history. They then use this data to calculate a price unique to you. Say you like to buy a specific brand of cereal, if the algorithm is aware of this, it may use this data to charge you a higher price next time you open a grocery app or scan an item.
Surveillance pricing isn’t rooted in fairness, instead it’s using your information to determine a personalized price.
Companies collect data from a variety of sources. This includes:
Data from mobile grocery apps
Browsing history
Location via real-time GPS information
Third-parties: Companies buy demographic data from other organizations to then use
Yes, if a company knows you are willing to pay higher for a bag of coffee based on your past spending habits or browsing history, it has the power to raise the price of that product.
When shoppers feel like they’re being treated unfairly, frontline workers often bear the brunt of that frustration. Surveillance pricing if allowed to take place, can create more conflict in stores, resulting in increased threats to worker safety.
Surveillance pricing allows corporations to use your data to determine how much an you’re willing to pay at the checkout. Instead of offering the same price to everyone, companies can use personalized data to charge different people different amounts for the same product.
Consumers deserve fair, transparent pricing. No one should pay more for groceries, essentials, or everyday goods because an algorithm predicts they can afford it. UFCW 1518 is calling for a ban on surveillance pricing.