- Maryland is introducing the Predatory Pricing Protection Act
- Price surveillance will be banned in grocery stores
- Some consumer rights groups believe it doesn’t go far enough
So-called ‘price surveillance’ in grocery stores, where the cost of items changes dynamically based on a variety of factors and shopper data, is now widespread in the United States, and Maryland authorities have had enough.
As reported by The Guardian, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has stated his intention to sign the Predatory Pricing Protection Act into law after approval by the state legislature, with the law set to go into 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 like the time of day. The goal is to ensure that consumers pay “a transparent and consistent price at the checkout,” according to Governor Moore’s Office.
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Without this protection, surveillance pricing, also known as dynamic pricing or custom pricing, could lead to two people with the same items in their shopping cart paying different prices at checkout.
Other states may follow
Today, Maryland will become the first state in the country to ban price surveillance in our supermarkets and grocery stores. We will also ban electoral methods that dilute the votes of protected classes and create a Statewide Foster Youth Ombudsman. https://t.co/ttQuXhccc5April 28, 2026
Consumer rights groups have welcomed the new legislation, but there are concerns that it does not go far enough and that stores and apps can still apply personalized pricing by using alternative methods that are less visible to consumers.
As Common Dreams reports, while stores must keep 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 may now follow Maryland’s lead. Similar bills are being considered in Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Illinois and New Jersey, and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also conducting its own investigation into price surveillance and its impact on consumers.
“We urge other state legislatures to consider tailored pricing legislation to incorporate stronger consumer protections and avoid loopholes that weaken this bill,” Grace Gedye, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports, told Common Dreams.
Concerned consumers are hoping that will happen, too. On Reddit, responses to the practice range from “this is horrible” to others calling it “truly dystopian.” Others noted that Maryland law includes exemptions for loyalty programs and promotional offers, meaning the same practice could effectively occur in reverse through targeted discounts.
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