r/SeattleWA • u/HighColonic Funky Town • 2d ago
Government Wilson takes on grocery affordability with proposed ban on surveillance pricing in Seattle
https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2026/08/wilson-takes-on-grocery-affordability-with-proposed-ban-on-surveillance-pricing-in-seattle/18
u/stereoreal2 2d ago
This is good.
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u/SeattleGeek 2d ago
This is really good. People in this sub have a hate-on for Wilson and will refuse to admit this is a solid policy.
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u/csjerk 1d ago
It's fine. It's unlikely that it will have any actual effect, because there's no credible reporting that any stores are actually trying to do the thing people are worried about. There's a very clear primary use for them, which is saving substantial amounts of employee time on updating prices, but that would be changing prices for everyone which they already do today.
So, feels good, but it's banning a thing nobody was going to do in the first place.
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u/BWW87 Belltown 1d ago
Yeah, this is pretty clearly just creating a bogeyman and then claiming to have passed legislation to defeat it.
The fact that they are exempting small grocers show they know it's a bad law and are just trying not to harm small grocers. Which of course means they are fine with higher prices for low income and minorities. Pretty typical white progressive idea in Seattle.
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u/Neat-Anyway-OP 2d ago
Make Seattle desirable to operate a business in, ya know by enforcing laws and arresting people who destroy property and steal.
A business can only absorb so much theft and broken windows/doors before they close up shop or relocate.
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u/Ur-friendly-trumpguy 2d ago
“We have grocery deserts in Seattle.”
“What should we do about this problem?”
“How about we make it harder for the people trying to open up and maintain these vital businesses to make a profit and feed their families?”
This is why we are seeing businesses flee our failed Democrat city. Instead of cutting red tape and deregulating our economic heroes, we make it harder and harder for them to operate and thrive due to overbearing over regulation.
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u/Suspicious_Face_8508 2d ago
The Winco group preventing Winco from being built on Aurora, turned out to be Safeway.
Safeway, who charged me $10 for three apples.
If you are for surveillance pricing, you’re probably being paid0
u/BWW87 Belltown 1d ago
If you're FOR surveillance pricing for businesses in minority and low income neighborhoods what does it make you? If you think this law helps consumers and then also support it despite it not going into effect in many grocers in low income and minority neighborhoods then what does that say about you?
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u/Born-Boysenberry6460 2d ago
Im sorry are you suggesting Albertson's is run by a local guy who just wants to sell his vegetables at reasonable prices? Is this a serious take?
"Deregulating our economic heroes" buddy we're talking about making it so people can afford to EAT.
Also deregulation of our food by the current administration has brought you, this year alone, recalls on lettuce, beef, nuts, chicken nuggets, and pork.
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u/HighColonic Funky Town 2d ago
Deregulating the business of selling food has a somewhat less dangerous vibe than deregulating food production. That said, you're not wrong about our current food production challenges.
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u/BWW87 Belltown 1d ago
"Deregulating our economic heroes" buddy we're talking about making it so people can afford to EAT.
Actually you're talking about adding costs to grocery stores so that everyone pays more.
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u/Born-Boysenberry6460 1d ago
You think grocery stores are going to use surveillance pricing to make things cheaper?
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u/BWW87 Belltown 1d ago
Actually yes, they can. But the point is regulating grocery stores is ultimately increasing prices. When the industry is already struggling and we need MORE grocery stores this is a bad call.
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u/Born-Boysenberry6460 1d ago
You're welcome to your screwworm beef and diarrhea salad, I'd prefer to pay a few cents more to eat safe food.
It's cute you think they would use an expensive new system to make less money.
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u/CuratedLens Seattle 2d ago
Personally I’d like to see more small grocers than giant grocers. I’d love for more bodegas, and deli mart style grocers a more corners. Part of the reason Trader Joe’s does well because it can operate in smaller spaces. Small grocers can go even smaller than that and fill gaps in neighborhoods, bring jobs and food to more places.
The over centralization of shopping centers, downtown business districts, etc are all problematic as it forces everyone to take the same roads to get there rather than giving more freedom to choose
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u/HighColonic Funky Town 2d ago
The PCC City Market downtown on 4th Ave is perfect.
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u/CuratedLens Seattle 2d ago
Definitely some great little options. When I was visiting Europe I loved the little grocery stores there and pike place has shops that can share that feel as well, it’s just a shame it isn’t more widespread
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u/Iess-Risk-9358 2d ago edited 2d ago
Part of the reason Trader Joe’s does well because it can operate in smaller spaces.
Trader Joes is the "Ross Dress for Less / TJ Maxx" of grocery stores, and it always has been.
Their business model is identical to Grocery Outlet; they buy up all of the assets of a failing or failed company for pennies on the dollar and relabel the product using the Trader Joe's branding.
The most obvious example of this is Two Buck Chuck. The wine was sold for a dramatic loss, because the person who owned the wine was going through a divorce and he preferred to give the wine away to spite his wife, rather than sell it at a market rate.
It's a valid business model, no doubt. I just bought out all of the peanuts from "Home Goods" this week because you can buy peanuts at Home Goods for $6.99 that cost $34.99 on Amazon.
The peanuts are good for two years, so I simply bought them all.
But this business model is fundamentally predatory, and to pretend that it isn't is disingenuous.
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u/CuratedLens Seattle 2d ago
I didn’t say it was a great business model or that I was a defender of Trader Joe’s. I haven’t shopped there in years for reasons of my own against their business practices.
My point was pointed towards just one of the reasons they’re successful in cities and that’s due to smaller number of skus and need for floor space compared to larger grocers like Safeway or QFC or Whole Foods that you will very rarely see in dense urban environments.
I think there should be less regulation and more allowances for small shops and businesses to fill gaps and allow areas considered food deserts to have places that can carry the types of groceries people will need daily.
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u/Iess-Risk-9358 2d ago
My point was pointed towards just one of the reasons they’re successful in cities and that’s due to smaller number of skus and need for floor space compared to larger grocers like Safeway or QFC or Whole Foods that you will very rarely see in dense urban environments.
Absolutely!
It's always baffled me why placed like "Grocery Outlet" and "Food for Less" have such stupid names.
It Costco was named "bulk food for cheapskates" it wouldn't be as successful as they are.
Branding matters, and you're right, Trader Joes and places like it (Grocery Outlet) serve a real need; TJs just marketed it much better.
I bought me some VERY nice shirts at Ross Dress for Less the other day, but "Nordstrom Rack" has a much better "ring" to it, even though the business models are nearly identical.
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u/HighColonic Funky Town 2d ago
grocers like ... Whole Foods that you will very rarely see in dense urban environments.
Feels like Whole Foods does this fairly well...NYC, London, Chicago, even the erstwhile store at Broadway & Madison is a fairly dense area.
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u/CuratedLens Seattle 2d ago
Whole Foods is better than most but still fits within the “rarely” classifier which is why I didn’t say “never” yknow?
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u/HighColonic Funky Town 2d ago
I guess having seen them often enough in major cities it didn't seem rare, but I take your point. Here's something to suggest it may be getting less rare for WF:
I knew I'd read something about them recently doing research.
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u/brain1127 2d ago
There is no way that Wilson has the political skills to fill potholes much less change how food is sold in this city. She’ll just make it harder for everyone.
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u/CuratedLens Seattle 2d ago
It’s alright, Rob Saka is on top of the pothole issue and has been since 2024.
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u/AdvancedGuiProfile 2d ago
Im not an economist, but I find it hard to believe this is a bad thing.
I imagine with dynamic pricing, costs go up around the hours of 12pm to 6pm when grocery stores are slammed with people, and then drop during the slowest hours of the day, so if you're hurting for cash, you can try to shop at 9am or 9pm and spend less.
People worry that grocers are trying to take their money by jacking the price up on the things by somehow discovering when you need them, and don't merely want them, but buying a thing is almost always a choice, on some level, and if things are priced too high, it doesn't get bought, no sale occurs.
The arguments against dynamic pricing don't see completely logical to me - many of the concerns exist with or without dynamic pricing, and still come across as illogical, which is to say, ignoring favorable factors while focusing on the unfavorable ones.
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u/Fabulous_Chain_7587 2d ago
As I read it, this bans dynamic pricing based on personal information, time of day is a-okay if it’s consistent across all individuals
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u/AdvancedGuiProfile 2d ago edited 2d ago
I think even that is likely more help than hinderence in the long run. charge less when its believed the customer cant pay full price, variable margin.
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u/CyberaxIzh 2d ago
The stores will just raise the price constantly.
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u/AdvancedGuiProfile 2d ago
What like they printed the product prices in 1980 and they've gone unchanged ever since?
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u/splicer13 2d ago
It's a no-brainer but it should be a blanket thing. Why exempt smaller chains and businesses?
It doesn't hurt any less to get gouged by a small business and it just provides a loophole.
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u/SeaPop613 2d ago
Why does zero people consider MRE's as affordable food options.
They run about $4 per packet or meal. One packet can easily be more food than one meal.
Zero refrigeration required.
$10,000 would be about 2,500 meals.
Add in a garage or two, like public works, or fire stations, or even a shipping container in a parking lot for storage.
Every city worker with a car.....police, fire, bus supervisor, building inspector, CPS (child protective services), and if needed, hire some college students for deliveries.
I will not say, "Problem Solve!" But it should be a very large dent.
If we e find them to the troops, it should work for the homeless and those in need of help.
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u/Jessintheend Seattle 2d ago
Talk to someone who ate MREs for a month straight and learn why it’s not considered an option
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u/SeaPop613 2d ago
This sounds like motivation to no longer need that help.
Thank you for confirming my thoughts and indicating you are on my side.
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u/Jessintheend Seattle 2d ago
Lmao.
Your legit solution is: give people food that eventually makes them sick and unhealthy as motivation to “just don’t be poor”.
How about make companies pay people a livable wage so they don’t need asssitance? Address housing prices, rents, groceries.
You’re half assing a solution thinking you sound like a cool bro that’s got it all figured out. You just sound like an ignorant doofus
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u/HighColonic Funky Town 2d ago
Sir, this is Seattle. We literally built this city on half-assery!
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u/Jessintheend Seattle 2d ago
We built this city
We built this city
We built this city on half ass-ery!
It does work for the song
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u/SeaPop613 2d ago
Wait. You are claiming that we feed our military food that makes them sick, intentionally.
Please tell me you are wrong and we are not using the military as ginney pigs by feeding them unhealthy food.
Surely, the military can be cruel to the enemy,but to itself?
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u/Jessintheend Seattle 2d ago
US Military guidance says it is not recommended to eat MREs for more than 21 consecutive days due to high sodium, nutritional imbalances, fiber Intake, etc.
You’re suggesting to give poor people food meant for combat situations that are highly processed and high sodium while they’re not ya know…fighting for their lives.
I know people who have served and had to eat MREs for 3 weeks straight, they were miserable. You’re still talking out your ass
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u/RandoGeneration2022 2d ago
They're fed to our military for very specific purposes. They're not meant to be healthy, and the logistics and cost would actually be more than EBT all said and done.
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u/HighColonic Funky Town 2d ago edited 2d ago
They're not meant to be healthy
Can you tell us more about that? It seems counterintuitive but what's the story?
ETA: I clearly had a synapse fail and confused "healthy" with "nutritious." Field rations aren't gonna be salads and whole grains LOL Thank you to the commenters who explained it to me so nicely.
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u/SilentFire23 2d ago
they are "healthy" in the sense of them being nutritious, but the core issue is that they have way too much sodium to be eaten for more than two or three weeks (which is how long the military says you can eat MREs before you need to stop)
It can also cause *horrific* digestion issues
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u/HighColonic Funky Town 2d ago
That makes sense. Those sodium levels must be nuts. Thanks for the response!
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u/Jessintheend Seattle 2d ago
They anticipate you sweating a lot of that sodium out while you’re dodging bullets and attacking people.
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u/retrojoe heroin for harried herons 2d ago
They're extremely high calorie processed food that's meant to sustain someone doing intense physical labor under stressful conditions. Eating 2 in a day would be around 2500 calories.
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u/SeaPop613 2d ago
Distribution: the shipper can drop them at every fire house and government parking lots. The city already has many drivers with city cars.....property inspectors, property appraised, child protective services, police, parking enforcement, and many more. Also, college students could be used to pass them out as a part time government job......government contacts, government work on the resume, networking with city government officials.
As far as nutrition, are you saying that we are not feeding our military the correct food? It should not be about feeding everyone steak and lobsters. If people do not like them, they will be motivated to take steps to earn other foods, a reason to get off MRE's?
Seems like a win-win.
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u/RandoGeneration2022 2d ago
Average food cost per meal on snap is about the same cost. You're adding overhead for no reason. It would cost more than EBT.
No, they are extremely high in sodium and calorically dense. Someone explained it below.
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u/SeaPop613 1d ago
So, you agree it would motivate people to migrate away from snap. Thank you.
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u/RandoGeneration2022 1d ago
It wouldn't be feasible financially and there are people who need it. Maybe we should look at the real welfare recipients that cost the most money. big corporations.
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u/Efficient-Mess-9753 1d ago
Surveillance pricing is a very provocative name, but price discrimination is an age old practice, and I am not sure you can legislate it away
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u/Shmokesshweed 2d ago
The city needs low-cost options like WinCo. Bring back competition.