Instacart Shoppers Charged Different Prices for Same Groceries
A new report is raising questions about how Instacart sets their prices.
Researchers found that people shopping at the same time, at the same store, were charged noticeably different amounts for identical items.
According to the Instacart pricing investigation, some shoppers paid as much as 23% more for certain groceries than others did in the same location.
What Researchers Found
Consumer Reports, More Perfect Union, and Groundwork Collaborative gathered 437 volunteer shoppers across four U.S. cities to test Instacart’s pricing.
Everyone added the same 20 items to their virtual cart at the same moment. And what happened next surprised even the researchers.
Nearly three-quarters of the items had variable grocery pricing. Some shoppers saw only small differences, while others saw major increases.
For example, one Seattle shopper added a box of Clif bars for $19.43. Someone else, shopping for the same item at the same store, paid $21.99. Price hikes like that can add up quickly in your cart.
Across all of the tests, the grocery delivery price differences averaged around 7% per cart. And, for families shopping weekly, those small spreads can add up to hundreds of dollars per year.
Why This Matters for Shoppers
Most of us are already stretching our grocery budgets. With inflation, supply chain challenges, and new tariffs, even small price changes can be stressful.
Researchers say these findings show how tough it is for shoppers to feel confident about what they’re paying online.
Groundwork Collaborative called it “pricing roulette,” arguing that customers shouldn’t be charged wildly different amounts for the same box of cereal at the same moment in time.
How Instacart Responded
Instacart says retailers, not Instacart, set the prices shown on the app.
They also confirmed that about ten retail partners run occasional pricing tests to better understand shopper preferences.
According to Instacart, these tests are short-term, randomized, and don’t use personal or demographic data.
Instacart emphasized that these tests aren’t real-time surge pricing. They also said that none of the testing is based on a user’s profile or behavior.
Retailers weighed in, as well.
Target said it doesn’t adjust prices for individual customers and doesn’t control prices on Instacart’s platform. So, now, we’re left wondering, “Who’s telling the truth?”
Other retailers, including Safeway’s parent company, Costco, and Kroger, declined to comment.
What Lawmakers Are Saying
These findings drew the attention of policymakers in Washington.
A new bill, the One Fair Price Act, was created to prevent companies from using customer data to set individualized prices.
Several states are also exploring their own legislation, including:
New York
Colorado
California
Illinois
Another bill, the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act, is focusing specifically on algorithm-driven pricing tied to personal data.
Consumer advocates say clearer rules are needed to protect shoppers from price models that are unpredictable or opaque.
We Want Prices We Can Trust
Most of us assume groceries have set prices, whether we’re buying online or in-store.
Yet, this experiment shows that digital shopping can produce a very different experience, even for neighbors who live in the same ZIP code.
One volunteer shopper described the price changes as unsettling, saying it wasn't fair that two people could buy the same items and end up with different prices.
As online grocery shopping continues to become the norm, researchers say transparency matters now, more than ever.
In the end, we simply want to know what we’ll pay, without hidden tests or unexplained inconsistencies. Is that really too much to ask?
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