The article reports on a practice known as "surveillance pricing" or "personalized pricing," where companies like Uber and Target charge different prices to customers based on their browsing history, purchase data, and other personal information. An experiment conducted by the author's coworker showed that they were charged nearly 10% less than the author for an identical Uber ride. The article found that ridesharing apps Uber and Lyft were the biggest offenders in this practice, with prices differing by up to $6 or more on a single trip. When questioned about these price fluctuations, an Uber spokesperson cited "small discrepancies" such as GPS location and marketplace conditions as the cause.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Your browsing history is making your Uber rides cost more than your friends’ — even if you’re going to the same place.
asserted
you → make → place
It’s a controversial practice called surveillance pricing, or “personalized pricing” as noted by The Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
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It → ’ → Commission
The sneaky scheme has put a spotlight on major companies like Uber, Target and Kroger, all of which have been accused of setting individual prices based on what they think you’re willing to pay.
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you → put → what
Here’s how surveillance pricing works: Retailers scrape data from your phone and laptop — things like your purchase history, browsing behavior, whether you comparison shop, your location, your age and more.
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you → ’ → history
Like a freaky science fiction film, that intel gets filtered into an invisible dossier and analyzed by an AI bot or algorithm, which tells companies how much you’ll likely spend on a service or item.
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you → filter → service
After learning about this somehow-legal scam, my co-worker and I decided to do an experiment:
We both ordered an Uber to the exact same location.
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We → learn → location
We were in the same spot and requested a ride at the same time — but I was charged $36.95 and he was charged $33.94, nearly 10% less.
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he → request → 33.94
We tried the same experiment with Uber’s main competition, the rideshare app Lyft.
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We → try → competition
Again, we used the exact same pickup point.
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we → use → point
“Weird,” said my co-worker.
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worker → say → ?
It was, which is why we kept testing our product pricing.
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we → keep → pricing
The Post compared a slew of items from Target, Walmart, Kroger, Uber, Lyft and DoorDash — all mega-companies that have been accused of surveillance pricing online.
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that → compare → pricing
But the biggest offender, The Post found, was on ridesharing apps Uber and Lyft.
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Post → find → apps
In another experiment, a friend — 33, in Brooklyn — typed in the same pickup location as I did, with the drop-off location at our Midtown office.
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I → type → office
The popular rideshare app charged me $52.93 and her $47.20 — almost $6 more.
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app → charge → 52.93
We then tried JFK Airport and once again the difference was huge — mine was $61.77 and hers was $82.66.
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hers → try → Airport
Again, we were going to and from the exact same place at the exact same time.
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we → go → time
An Uber spokesperson told The Post that those price fluctuations were caused by “small discrepancies” like GPS location, timing or marketplace conditions — the type that result in surge pricing when demand is higher for cars.
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demand → tell → cars
“In a real-time marketplace, a trip is defined not only by where it starts and ends, but also by when it is requested and what marketplace conditions exist at that exact moment.
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conditions → define → moment
Nearby rider demand, driver availability, traffic, routing, and estimated trip length can all change within seconds,” the spokesperson told The Post.
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spokesperson → estimate → Post
But again, we were leaving from and going to the exact same place at the exact same time.
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we → leave → time
Meanwhile, Lyft has not responded to The Post’s questions at all.
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Lyft → respond → questions
Would supermarkets fare any better?
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supermarkets → fare → ?
We tried it with Kroger.
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We → try → Kroger
I called a friend in New Jersey, 30, and we both searched for everyday essentials in our kitchens, starting with beef — an item already impacted by inflation.
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we → call → inflation
On my friend’s browser, Kroger’s website showed beef at $6.99 per pound.
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website → show → pound
We tried milk next.
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We → try → milk
She saw a gallon of the Kroger brand at $3.79.
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She → see → 3.79
Once again, I was charged more — mine came in at $3.99.
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mine → charge → 3.99
Same for the Kroger-branded ice cream: Hers was $2.50; mine was $2.99.
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mine → brand → cream
Curiously, the tables turned when we searched for sliced turkey.
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we → turn → turkey
Mine was $10.99 while hers came out to $12.99 — two dollars more.
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hers → come → 12.99
Kroger prices, even for the same product, may vary based on location.
uncertain
prices → vary → location
Even two Kroger stores in the same state can have different prices as promotions, digital coupons and fulfillment locations may differ, the grocery giant said online.
uncertain
giant → have → prices
Kroger told The Post, “Kroger has never and does not use surveillance pricing.”
Next up was Target, the company that settled a $5 million lawsuit with San Diego County back in 2022, after prosecutors found it was raising prices in its app when shoppers entered a store’s parking lot.
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shoppers → tell → lot
I called my sister — who lives in California and is 27 — and we chose two kitchen staples, Spam and applesauce.
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we → call → staples
Target advertised a 12-pack of Mott’s pouches to my sister for $8.99.
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Target → advertise → 8.99
My price was almost a dollar more — the retail behemoth wanted to charge me $9.79.
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behemoth → want → 9.79
The Hawaiian staple, Spam, would cost my sister $4.19.
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staple → cost → 4.19
But once again, Target showed me a higher price tag: $4.49.
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Target → show → tag
…and 27 more, not listed.
