One Lowe's shopper sparked consumer fears over "surveillance pricing" after spotting a $6 gap between an in-store shelf price and the app price for the same can of primer.
Because the higher figure appeared on a buy-online-pick-up-in-store order, the shopper questioned whether it was due to surveillance pricing or if another unexplained markup could be at play.
Here's what to know
On Reddit's r/HomeImprovement forum, the shopper described seeing one price in the aisle and a higher one in the app, writing, "Went to Lowe's to pickup this primer. Used the app to locate it and noticed it was $6 more if I ordered online and picked up. Went to checkout and it gave me the sticker price."
The original poster then asked, "Do I have to start worrying about this now?"
Screenshots shared with the post showed the app listing a higher price than the store's tag, leaving open whether the difference came from online ordering, pickup-related costs or a more targeted pricing practice.
The discussion took a different turn when the poster added an update with a more routine explanation.
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"Seems most likely the price has increased, but my store just has not updated it yet," the poster wrote. "Probably nothing to do with surveillance/dynamic pricing or increased price for in-store pickup like a lot of people are claiming."
In the comments, some readers still said the situation reflected the general irritation they have felt with online retail pricing.
The top comment read, "Not just lowes, but a lot of places online have markup on heavy/bulky/chemical to compensate for 'free shipping' as those specific items cost more to ship than is factored into their free shipping algorithm."
More background
People in the thread also suggested a range of possible causes, including shipping-related pricing, the labor involved in filling pickup orders, local pricing differences, and the chance the shelf label simply hadn't been updated.
The shopper, however, emphasized that the higher amount applied to pickup, not delivery.
Other commenters responded that app orders can still come with built-in costs even when no delivery is involved.
One wrote, "The $6 is for the computing resources involved in managing the order, the human resources for going out into the store to pick the order and then storing the order until you come to the customer service counter to interact with someone to pick up the order."
Where can I learn more?
These articles also cover the general frustrations many shoppers feel about pricing policies and practices.
• At Home Depot, prices rose before holiday sales, making advertised discounts look larger.
• Across online retail, shoppers often can only see prices when goods are in the cart because manufacturers restrict public listings.
• Inside Home Depot, a sneaky in-store pricing tactic left one shopper demanding new rules.
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