Battling an Army of Price-Setters
Summary
This review discusses Gouged by Lindsay Owens, which argues that dynamic and personalized pricing by corporations increases profits at consumers' expense, aided by pricing consultants and AI-enabled algorithms. It highlights examples like RealPage, Uber, and ATPCO, and describes surveillance pricing and data-tracking practices. The piece advocates policy measures such as a modern Shoppers’ Bill of Rights, transparency requirements, and banning algorithmic price-fixing to curb anti-competitive pricing.