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flowerladtoday at 5:24 PM3 repliesview on HN

Why is this limited to groceries? I don't want to pay a different price than others for any category of item, not just groceries.

Should gyms be able to charge me more based on my weight? Should airlines charge me more because they know I need to travel urgently? Should pharmacies charge me more for medication because they know I have a chronic condition? Should an online retailer charge me more because my browsing history suggests I'm willing to pay a premium? Should insurance companies charge me more because they know I'm unlikely to shop around?


Replies

BeetleBtoday at 5:38 PM

If I'm selling to the wealthiest zip code, where the median house price is over $10M, should I be disallowed to charge higher prices? (Not for selling a house, but selling ordinary stuff to them).

If I'm posting something for sale on Craigslist, and I don't put a price, is it OK if I quote different prices to different people who text me?

I can see arguments both ways.

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micromacrofoottoday at 5:41 PM

you already do pay a price difference for many categories of items, insurance is a big one... where you live, how old you are, gender, etc

it used to be the norm with health insurance until the ACA dropped discrimination for chronic conditions

airlines charge more if you're too large to fit your seat

online retailers very often charge people more, there are hundreds of factors now... but one funny case was mac users getting redirected to more expensive hotels by travel sites

car insurers will raise premiums for people who haven't switched recently, I had to switch every 6 months for a couple years until one of them just stopped hiking prices around renewal

dynamic pricing is very very prevalent, but doing it on food (like health insurance before it) is particularly egregious

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