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).
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
he → request → 33.94
We tried the same experiment with Uber’s main competition, the rideshare app Lyft.
asserted
We → try → competition
Again, we used the exact same pickup point.
asserted
we → use → point
“Weird,” said my co-worker.
asserted
worker → say → ?
It was, which is why we kept testing our product pricing.
asserted
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.
asserted
that → compare → pricing
But the biggest offender, The Post found, was on ridesharing apps Uber and Lyft.
asserted
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.
asserted
I → type → office
The popular rideshare app charged me $52.93 and her $47.20 — almost $6 more.
asserted
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.
asserted
hers → try → Airport
Again, we were going to and from the exact same place at the exact same time.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
conditions → define → moment
Nearby rider demand, driver availability, traffic, routing, and estimated trip length can all change within seconds,” the spokesperson told The Post.
asserted
spokesperson → estimate → Post
But again, we were leaving from and going to the exact same place at the exact same time.
asserted
we → leave → time
Meanwhile, Lyft has not responded to The Post’s questions at all.
asserted
Lyft → respond → questions
Would supermarkets fare any better?
asserted
supermarkets → fare → ?
We tried it with Kroger.
asserted
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.
asserted
we → call → inflation
On my friend’s browser, Kroger’s website showed beef at $6.99 per pound.
asserted
website → show → pound
We tried milk next.
asserted
We → try → milk
She saw a gallon of the Kroger brand at $3.79.
asserted
She → see → 3.79
Once again, I was charged more — mine came in at $3.99.
asserted
mine → charge → 3.99
Same for the Kroger-branded ice cream: Hers was $2.50; mine was $2.99.
asserted
mine → brand → cream
Curiously, the tables turned when we searched for sliced turkey.
asserted
we → turn → turkey
Mine was $10.99 while hers came out to $12.99 — two dollars more.
asserted
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.
asserted
shoppers → tell → lot
I called my sister — who lives in California and is 27 — and we chose two kitchen staples, Spam and applesauce.
asserted
we → call → staples
Target advertised a 12-pack of Mott’s pouches to my sister for $8.99.
asserted
Target → advertise → 8.99
My price was almost a dollar more — the retail behemoth wanted to charge me $9.79.
asserted
behemoth → want → 9.79
The Hawaiian staple, Spam, would cost my sister $4.19.
asserted
staple → cost → 4.19
But once again, Target showed me a higher price tag: $4.49.
asserted
Target → show → tag
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
