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this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2026
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So something weird happened to me twice recently at a grocery store.
Firstly. It's a local mid level grocery store in a medium sized city (we have 3 Walmarts, for scale).
I don't go there often because it's more expensive than other grocery stores. But it's also the closest one to me. And huge. So they do have everything. But it's not like a fancy gourmet grocery store that offers wine samples or anything.
Anywho.
I went there and bought like 4 things.
It was easy to remember how much each item was since I only bought 4 things.
When I went to do self checkout , 3 of those items ran up 50 cents to 1 dollar cheaper than the price tag.
I don't use a saver card or anything.
The 4th item happened to be a deli item. It was the price it had on it. Cause those literally have a sticker on them.
I thought. Weird how 3 items ran up the wrong price.
I go back 2 weeks later. Same exact thing happens. Different items. Everything except the two deli items I bought were pricing at 50 cents or 1$ cheaper than listed. I paid extra attention this time because of the last experience.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm paranoid. Seeing manipulation where there is none.
But this can't just be a coincidence.
I don't go there often.
I use the self checkout.
Is it using facial recognition to see I'm a "new" customer. And charging me less so I feel like my bill is lower than expected so I will return ,?
Am I taking crazy pills ?
Someone tell me I'm wrong and that theory is absurd.
maybe take a pic of the price tag and question them next time
I plan to
You may not have a loyalty card, but did you pay using a payment card of any kind? They track you through that.
My debit card. But see, the price rang up wrong before I paid.
That's why I suspected face recognition. I noted the price was wrong as the items were initially rang up and that there was no indication on the receipt of a discount, coupon, or sale.
Oh, that's a fair point then. I'd personally still err on some sort of basic pricing mishap, but perhaps you're right. There definitely is intent to set prices for individuals live but it seems a little odd to be so clandestine about it.
They may be scamming everyone with the same increases hoping customers won't complain or notice that.
In theory, this can also happen if prices are changed during the day - perhaps according to the time of the day, and that change just happens between you putting the article into your chart. Unless every customer has a device that tracks the price of each item until he/she pays, such mismatches (or "race conditions", that's the technical name in software development) will be difficult to avoid.
But to me, also something weird happened. I was watching a corner with small kitchen stuff (things like knives, cooking cutlery), and there was a TV screen with advertising in it. I took one of these items (out of perhaps 100 items) into my hand and it started to play advertising about that item. Freaked me out.
Only so many coincidences before it's obvious its orchestrated in some form.
With the lax laws on privacy and data collection, they could be doing almost anything.
I considered that prices had been changed and the price tags not updated yet. But all 3 items the first time. And then all the other different items the second time?
So the price was wrong on literally everything I bought except the deli items.
And it was consistently off. Everything was 50 cents or 1 dollar cheaper.
Technically 49 cents and 99 cents.
For instance I grabbed some cheap pot pies. 1.49. They rang up 1.00.
I bought a pack of popcorn 4.99. It rang up 4.00.
I think to fully test this I could buy the exact same items. Go through self checkout.
Do it again and go through the cashier and pay in cash.
Shoulda screamed, dropped / thrown the item and run out of the store.
Teach them being creepy gets them nothing