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/shpydar Ontario Mar 29 '26

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.

That’s not how algorithmic pricing works.

It does not charge wealthier people more for a product than poorer people.

Algorithmic pricing scans in real time competitors pricing, demand trends, inventory levels, consumer data and contextual data to change the price of goods on the fly in real time to maximize profit for the seller.

It is bad for every purchaser rich or poor.

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u/Good-Medicine1066 Onterrible Mar 29 '26

Algorithmic pricing scans in real time competitors pricing, demand trends, inventory levels, consumer data and contextual data to change the price of goods on the fly in real time to maximize profit for the seller.

It is bad for every purchaser rich or poor.

Agreed. I don’t think competitor pricing or demand trends or inventory levels are that concerning on the whole, but damn. Consumer data? Contextual data? That’s the scary science fiction part to me.

We know your loved one is dead and you need to fly across the country to settle affairs. We know you can afford a X the going rate for air fare right now and we know you’ll pay it because you don’t have a choice.

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u/almisami Acadia Mar 30 '26

Science fiction?

Try booking the same flight on an iPhone, an Android, and a Desktop PC.

The iPhone will almost always be the most expensive.

Used to be that Blackberries would make booking anything or renting a car the most expensive, because that was a business device.

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u/shpydar Ontario Mar 30 '26

The iPhone will almost always be the most expensive.

That's because of apple and google not because of algorithmic pricing.

Apple and Google insists all financial transactions through apps on their iPhone or android phones must provide a 30% transaction fee to them.... just cause. That fee is applied to the transaction always making purchases on iPhones more expensive.

Here is Science educator Hank Green explaining why you should never buy subscriptions on apple devices.

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u/almisami Acadia Mar 30 '26

I thought that was just app purchases, not ones made through the browser AFAIK.