NYT: Grocery stores move toward customer-specific pricing

[mike_c]

6. actually, it's not the "regular price" that changes....

It's the discounted price. Safeway calls it the Safeway-4-you program, and as far as I can tell-- I've signed up-- rather then putting items on sale generally, they offer sale prices to individuals whom their software indicates are likely to be enticed to buy specific products. For example, I buy Greek yoghurt every week or two, and my "deals" recently offered *me* a steeply discounted price on another brand of Greek yoghurt. I get the discount if I select the "deal" from a Safeway web site, then bring the product to the scanner, which automatically gives me the discounted price. Another customer buying the same product might not have been offered that discount, or might not have selected that deal when offered it. It's like clipping coupons in the sense that if you think you might buy the product you can click on the discount offered.

Doesn't really seem sinister, frankly. It's like electronic coupons.