We Had 400 People Shop For Groceries. What We Found Will Shock You.
EXCLUSIVE: We uncovered a secret corporate scheme to raise grocery prices.
We found that Instacart is using AI algorithms to charge customers different prices for the same items. The scary part? It’s not just online. It’s in physical grocery stores, too.
Our months-long investigation with Consumer Reports and Groundwork Collaborative found it could cost families $1,200/year.
Sign up for Consumer Reports’ Community Reports project here: https://action.consumerreports.org/community_reports_sign_up
—–
More Perfect Union is an Emmy-winning, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective. We attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power. And we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems.
To support our independent journalism, subscribe, donate, and follow our other pages through the links below:
– Help fund our reporting: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mpu-splash
– Substack: https://substack.perfectunion.us/
– TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moreperfectunion
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS
– Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/moreperfectunion.bsky.social
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorePerfectUS
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectunion/
– Threads: https://www.threads.net/@perfectunion
– Website: https://www.perfectunion.us
Comments
Latest news
@moreperfectunion
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
BREAKING: Instacart is ending all price testing on its platform in the wake of our investigation.
Reuters reported last week that the FTC initiated an investigation into Instacart, members of the United States Senate have told us they are going to investigate, and numerous state authorities (including in California and Illinois) have reached out to let us know they are going to challenge the company’s practices.
Since this report was released Instacart's stock price has fallen. Investors in the company became skittish that they were now exposed to greater legal liability.
@gerrabosco4034
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
I'm so over capitalism and scamerica
@hellotokyo-t7c
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
3:35 is that guy from the Silicon Valley
@Ofcourseitsgonwork
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
People NEED to eat and have housing all the time? Well why shouldn’t that be exploited to the max? – some business virgin somewhere
@zacharyjennings208
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Constantly getting screwed over…
@ld932
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Great research and reporting. Thank you =)
@cassiofoliveira
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
the price of my chicken breast is now controlled by a cartel, what a time to be alive!
@lindat6688
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Support your local farmers market.
@PandoraChaser2
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Sophisticated embezzlement basically! Like robbing 1 cent from everyone's bank account but personally tailored. Real time Digital ID price tags also need BANNING.
@divamam79
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Wow! This was very eye opening! I had always assumed Instacart's upcharge was due to convenience of the service and that the difference was going directly to them…
@Aceamzing
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
🍕🍗🥩🍖
@maipaiper1411
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Dystopia 2027
@Neb448
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
"AI Overview
Grocery store net profit margins are notoriously thin, typically ranging between 1% and 3%, although they experienced a temporary peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. Margins increased from roughly 2.9% to over 4% during the pandemic due to high demand, but have since fallen back to pre-pandemic levels of 1.6% in 2023."
I think you guys need to find a different capitalism boogyeman. Grocery stores barely making profits just ain't it.
@autumntriesthings
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Thank goodness it's back!
@victoriassecretplace
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Love this! It is refreshing to see something focused on real issues. One thing I’ll point out is they can’t do this to us if we shop in person. Even if you have a loyalty card, you can’t be charged different prices especiallyyyy IF YOU TRACK PRICES AS YOU CHECK OUT. However, since the difference is so small, it makes it easier to overlook. Wow. Definitely won’t be ordering groceries – not that I ever did.
@NoteAndroid
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
"Competitive shopping". I had suspected my own PC is cheating me for years. So, every time I shop for airline tickets, I cross checking the air fare prices with my own PC first, then my families PCs (multiple PCs), then my other relatives and friends in different addresses, check prices at different time and dates. Do this yourself and you'll find different prices like I did. I just pick the lowest price, time, date, hotels, rental cars of my travel preferences. If you can beat the system, then GO AROUND the system.
@CRAFT7445
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Seventy five percent of my purchases are BOGO or deep discount sales in bulk and frozen or shelved for later. I only pay full price for weekly items (milk, produce, etc).
@lucie03
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
My childhood mindset of "I don't care they're collecting my data, I have nothing to hide anyways" has evaporated, damn💀
@TheFlwildman
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
"Judicial Watch"
just uncovered records showing New York City spent millions of federal taxpayer dollars housing and feeding illegal aliens.
In hotels.
With catered food.
We have the receipts to prove it thanks to 710 pages of records your Judicial Watch received through our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.
@Miah_Lake
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Wtfff
@dextrart
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
We need to keep using cash
@ericmccafferty9073
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Easy solution – delete your loyalty apps and your Instacart app…that way they can't track you.
@lW9497
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
MPU is a socialist organization aimed at over throwing capitalism. I use it to know which stocks to buy, what industries to invest in. Screw collective organization. If you want to help the poor teach them how to use money.
@DisHsDd
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
What would actually be helpful is to advise consumers on how to beat this system. Does it help to never shop on your phone, only pay cash, wear sunglasses so retailers cant use facial recognition software to figure out who you are in the store, …?
@vickieenz-miller448
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Here is one explanation for the needs of all the data centers being built.
@griffincummins3115
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
So how do we end this or out smart them?
@bblz9171
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Arent these also possibly orice elasticity tests?
@renticat
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
So just tax basically. The wealthier you are the more expensive it is. They shiuld tac billionaire and millionaire more because thise people actually never pay that much tax because they able to find loophole with much money
@doughboywhine
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
I'll never shop at a place that has digital tags. Waste of electronics and opens the door waay up to scamming people. Ever Get to check out and find out one of the price tags was off? Imagine if that happened, and when you complained about it the clerks tried gaslighting you into believing that's what the price always had been.
@Citizenflaba
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Mildly interested as always, this presenter needs to be a little less cringe though
@Deep-ly-Seeded
March 20, 2026 at 6:17 pm
okay so what are we gunna do about this to stop them??
Comments are closed.