Toronto – April 21, 2026 – UFCW Canada is calling on all levels of government to ban the use of exploitative surveillance pricing in the retail sector, as evidence mounts that large multinational grocers are using artificial intelligence to quietly manipulate prices.
In the United States, companies such as Instacart and Walmart have been shown to use algorithmic, AI-driven systems that adjust prices based on a customer’s behaviour, location, and shopping history. This practice, known as surveillance pricing, is highly sophisticated, largely invisible to consumers, and currently unregulated in Canada.
Surveillance pricing extends beyond online shopping. While e-commerce platforms can target individuals directly, in-store technologies are also being deployed. Digital or “smart” shelf labels allow retailers to change prices instantly based on factors such as time of day, demand, or local events. The result is a pricing system that lacks transparency and consistency, leaving consumers unaware of how prices are determined or when they are being changed.
Investigations by organizations like Consumer Reports have found that major retailers, including Instacart, Walmart, Costco, and Amazon, are using these tactics. With many of these same companies operating in Canada, there is growing concern that these practices are already affecting Canadian consumers.
“Canadians are already struggling with the high cost of living. The last thing they need is hidden pricing systems designed to charge them more based on their behaviour,” says Barry Sawyer, National President of UFCW Canada. “Surveillance pricing is not innovation. It is exploitation, and it has no place in how Canadians shop and live.”
UFCW Canada members working across the grocery sector are seeing the impact firsthand, from rapidly shifting shelf prices to increasingly frustrated customers at checkout. As affordability pressures continue to grow, surveillance pricing risks pushing costs even higher in ways that are both hidden and unfair.
Jurisdictions in the United States have begun introducing legislation to curb these practices, and momentum is building in Canada. Manitoba has already introduced legislation aimed at addressing surveillance pricing, signaling the need for broader action across the country. Notably, the federal New Democratic Party has been the only national party actively calling out the practice, urging Canadians to reject it through a public campaign to ban surveillance pricing.
UFCW Canada is urging the federal government, alongside provincial and territorial partners, to implement clear regulations to prohibit surveillance pricing. Technology in retail should be used to improve service, not to manipulate or exploit consumers.
