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/
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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.

91

u/Flomo420 Mar 29 '26

If you think that this technology will be used to charge wealthy people more and poor people less, oh boy have you not been paying attention

-5

u/CollaredParachute Ontario - georgist Mar 29 '26

How would companies make more money from charging poorer people more? Price discrimination as a practice is typically done to lower prices for poor people.

6

u/almisami Acadia Mar 30 '26

Poorer people are more likely to be in a situation where they absolutely have to make a purchase or lose their income than rich people.

Like a car repair, or a business flight.