- Maryland Introduces Predatory Pricing Protection Law
- It will ban price monitoring in grocery stores
- Some consumer rights groups think it doesn’t go far enough
So-called “watch pricing” at grocery stores, where the cost of items is dynamically changed based on various factors and shopper data, is now widespread across the United States — and Maryland officials have had enough.
As The Guardian reports, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has signaled his intention to sign the Predatory Pricing Protection Act into law after approval by the state legislature, and the law will take effect in early October of this year.
This means that stores and third-party delivery apps won’t be able to adjust prices on the fly, based on what they know about the shopper or other factors such as the time of day. The aim is to ensure that consumers pay “a transparent and consistent price at checkout”, according to Office of Governor Moore.
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Without this protection in place, monitoring pricing – also known as dynamic pricing or personalized pricing – could cause two people with the same items in their cart to pay different prices when they check out.
Other states could follow
Today, Maryland will become the first state in the nation to ban price monitoring in our supermarkets and grocery stores. We will also ban electoral methods that dilute the votes of protected classes and create a national ombudsman for foster youth. https://t.co/ttQuXhccc5April 28, 2026
Consumer rights groups have welcomed the new legislation, but some worry it doesn’t go far enough and that stores and apps can still charge personalized prices using alternative methods that are less visible to consumers.
As Common Dreams reports, although stores must keep their prices fixed for at least one business day, there is some ambiguity about how base prices and “discounts” can be set and manipulated. Loyalty and subscription programs are also exempt from the new rules.
Other states could now follow Maryland’s lead. Similar bills are under consideration in Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Jersey, and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also currently conducting its own investigation into surveillance pricing and its impact on consumers.
“We urge other state legislatures considering personalized pricing legislation to strengthen consumer protections and avoid the loopholes that weakened this bill,” Grace Gedye, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports, told Common Dreams.
Worried consumers are also hoping this will happen. On Reddit, responses to the practice range from “it’s horrible” to others calling it “truly dystopian.” Others noted that Maryland law provides exemptions for loyalty programs and promotional offers, meaning the same practice could still happen in reverse through selective discounts.
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