While shopping for a backpack for her son, a Pennsylvania mother claims she watched “in real time” the price for it change dramatically from the time she grabbed one and rang it up. She not only argues it’s wrong, but considers herself a “victim.”
Patrice (TikTok/Thefuturewiseoldwoman) proclaims in her TikTok video, “Dynamic pricing should be illegal!” The backpack at Target didn’t have a price tag, though others did. She walked to the kiosk to scan the barcode, where it told her the backpack was $13.99. Patrice was “elated” about the price, put it in her cart, and continued shopping.
However, getting to the register was a different story entirely. Patrice was absolutely shocked to discover the backpack rang up for $27.99 instead of just $14! That’s twice the cost! She says she returned to the kiosk with the other backpacks, only to find that they were now scanning at $27.99 as well.
Patrice argued that the price may have changed because it was approaching 5 p.m., suggesting Target could be adjusting prices based on when more customers shop. However, the video does not establish why the backpack’s price changed or that Target was using dynamic pricing. To test, Patrice says she’ll try to shop earlier in the day to see if there’s a change.
Viewers Say They’ve Seen Prices Change While Shopping, Too
People in the comment section of Patrice’s TikTok video were very supportive of her assertion. Others shared how they deal with dynamic pricing, such as taking pictures.
Some argued dynamic pricing should be outright illegal. As one commenter shared, “The state of Maryland has already banned dynamic pricing statewide and every else needs to follow suit real fking quick!” Maryland has passed legislation restricting dynamic pricing by food retailers and third-party delivery services, although the law does not amount to a statewide ban on dynamic pricing across all businesses.
“People will say this should be illegal and then vote for Trump,” another asserted. One highly rated comment shared the same sentiment. “This is what happens when you get rid of consumer protections. But hey, Kamala had a weird laugh, right?” they wrote.
Responding to a commenter on TikTok, Patrice has since made a second response video. A commenter pushed back against her claim, saying it wasn’t a “conspiracy or dynamic pricing.” Patrice says otherwise, saying it’s clearly happening right now.
