No Rigged Grocery Prices Act

Key Points

• The bill bans large grocery stores and food delivery apps from using your personal data to charge you higher prices than other shoppers. This practice, known as dynamic pricing, would become illegal when it relies on information tied to a specific consumer.
• The ban applies to food retailers with stores at least 15,000 square feet and any third party delivery service that brings food to consumers. Small corner stores and bodegas would not be covered.
• Stores can still offer loyalty program discounts, rewards, promotional pricing, and retention offers. They can also adjust prices based on objective costs like shipping or taxes. These common practices are carved out as exceptions.
• When you shop for groceries online, the store must tell you if an item's availability changed or if the price depends on weight. Delivery services must get your explicit OK before swapping out an item you ordered for a substitute.
• The Federal Trade Commission would enforce the law, treating violations as unfair or deceptive business practices. Violators would face the same penalties as any company that breaks FTC rules.
• The bill also requires the Department of Labor to study whether grocery stores using electronic shelf labels (digital price tags) are affecting employment levels, with a report due to Congress within one year of enactment.