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Our guest, Lindsay Owens, is an economic sociologist and former policy advisor to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. She’s the co-author of “The Age of Recoupment” in The American Prospect’s issue on how pricing really works, and the executive director of Groundwork Collaborative.
Owens discusses how major retailers are using digital surveillance to set individual prices for individual customers. She talks about the evolution of pricing, from the bazaar to the department store to the Taco Bell app, and why AI may be enabling price-fixing schemes in real estate that are driving up rents across North America.
Also Vass and Katrina compete for hotel deals.
Find the transcript of today’s episode here.
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Editor’s note: This episode contains an incorrect reference to a price-fixing scandal – specifically that major Canadian grocers divulged that they had colluded to inflate the price of bread. In fact, only Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company, George Weston Ltd., admitted to participating in this years-long activity.