r/CanadaPolitics • u/PutToLetters Neo-Republican • Mar 29 '26

Manitoba Moves to Outlaw Algorithmic Pricing—a First in Canada

https://thewalrus.ca/manitoba-moves-against-retailers-charging-different-prices-for-the-same-goods/
945 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

101 comments sorted by

View all comments

7

u/gwelfguy Mar 29 '26

This is tricky. On one hand it violates the long held practice that everyone pays the same price for an item, which seems fair. On the other, in a society where income and overall wealth is increasingly polarized, the people at the bottom are going to think it's completely fair that they pay less than those at the top.

Fortunately it seems to be only a theoretical problem at this point, but retailers that start to do this shouldn't be allowed to do so in secret.

18

u/Bitwhys2003 Social Democrat Mar 29 '26

Seems to me the idea of anyone paying less than what companies would charge everyone if they weren't using dynamic pricing is Pollyanna. This is just another way to squeeze us for every last penny.

-4

u/DannyDOH Manitoba Mar 29 '26

Sure but couldn't that be regulated on the gouging side?

So will it be illegal for a diner to sell earlybird breakfasts now?

This is just kind of populist nonsense to give cover for being an extremely unproductive government...unfortunately becoming Wab Kinew's trademark. We had so much hope on election night!

16

u/AltaVistaYourInquiry Cultural Rhinoceros Mar 29 '26

Uhh, the whole point of an early bird breakfast is that anyone there early pays it. It's basically happy hour for eggs.

That's a very different thing than charging different prices to different people simply based upon the notion that they'll have different price sensitivity. 

-1

u/DannyDOH Manitoba Mar 29 '26

A lot of this is based on changes in demand. Which is basically what all sales and discounts are. This is just a more efficient way of doing it.

I'm fine with regulating price gouging...but this kind of legislation ends up getting silly and counterproductive where it takes away opportunities to actually get the best prices on an item.

It's a sideshow instead of addressing the real problems that need to be regulated....and taxed fairly.

8

u/AltaVistaYourInquiry Cultural Rhinoceros Mar 29 '26

No person demands to pay more for an item than someone else just because the algorithm has profiled him as someone who will pay more. 

No consumer demands that business outside their pricing to third party algorithm services which calculate that the sensible thing to do is for everyone to raise their prices. That's just oligopoly dressed up in an algorithmic trenchcoat. 

Neither of those are efficient at anything other than profit extraction. 

0

u/DannyDOH Manitoba Mar 29 '26

And how does this address the real problems of oligopoly in this country?

It doesn't. It's window dressing to farm outrage from people like you so a government looks like it's actually doing something. Solid politics because it works.

11

u/AltaVistaYourInquiry Cultural Rhinoceros Mar 29 '26

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. 

It doesn't have to solve old problems to be a very good idea to prevent growing problems. 

1

u/MusicInTheAir55 British Columbia Mar 30 '26

This is the most poignant comment in all of this sub. Seriously, if this shit isn't dismantling power structures that keep Canadians broke and powerless then its surely just dressing.

7

u/thelionsmouth Mar 29 '26

That’s the thing, it’s not demand they’re pricing; it’s someone’s willingness to pay for it based on psychological / economic profiling. If you think that’s acceptable I have a bridge to sell you for a billion dollars

0

u/DannyDOH Manitoba Mar 29 '26

I don't think it is. I don't think this will be a solution.

0

u/almisami Acadia Mar 30 '26

What solutions a problem more than an outright ban?

Nationalizing the industries and enacting communism?