The premise of this work was simple: Algorithmic pricing hides higher grocery prices from consumers, eroding transparency and fairness at the checkout counter for millions of Americans. A blockbuster investigation by Groundwork Collaborative, working with Consumer Reports and More Perfect Union, revealed that Instacart ran hidden, real-time price experiments that could cost households up to $1,200 a year. Our goal was to expose this complex, behind the scenes pricing scheme and turn it into a clear, compelling story that would both inform the public and push policymakers, regulators, and ultimately the company itself, to pay attention.
Our investigation analyzed live shopping data from more than 400 Instacart shoppers across four U.S. cities who added the same items from the same stores to their Instacart carts at the same time. Instacart’s algorithmic pricing experiments were found to be occurring through the platform at several of the nation’s biggest grocery retailers, including Albertsons, Costco, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Target. Our investigation showed many U.S. shoppers who order grocery pickup and delivery through Instacart were unknowingly enrolled in AI-enabled experiments that can charge up to 23% more for the same item ordered from the same store at the same time. We had three main goals: first, to document and measure these hidden pricing experiments in a data-driven way; second, to creatively communicate and share the findings with clear visuals and storytelling elements that could connect with everyday shoppers, the media, and policymakers; and third, to drive real world impact, regulatory scrutiny, new legislation, and public awareness. Blending research, innovative data collection, and smart communication, we turned what was once an invisible corporate practice into a story people could see, understand, and act on.
We started with a central question: were companies like Instacart using AI-driven pricing to experiment on shoppers, and if so, how much could it cost working families? To answer that, we needed a controlled approach that could produce credible and actionable data.
Groundwork Collaborative partnered with Consumer Reports and More Perfect Union to recruit 437 participants across four U.S. cities. Each shopper was guided to add the same items from the same grocery store to their Instacart cart at the same time, without checking out. This allowed us to capture pricing variations in real time while isolating the effect of Instacart’s algorithm. Researchers recorded every price difference, identified patterns, and ensured high quality submissions, ultimately analyzing 193 robust datasets. Focusing on commonly purchased grocery staples, we found basket totals varied by an average of 7%, which could cost a typical family of four up to $1,200 a year.
Executing this project required careful coordination across multiple fronts. Recruiting a geographically diverse group, keeping shoppers on protocol, and standardizing data collection across cities. At the same time, we had to turn technical findings on AI pricing into clear, compelling stories for the public and policymakers.
What made this project unique was the combination of investigative rigor, creative storytelling, and actionable impact. We didn’t just identify price differences, we showed the real-world consequences of opaque, algorithmic pricing, prompting an FTC investigation and a New York Attorney General inquiry, pushing Instacart to end price experimentation, and sparking legislative momentum with bills like the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act and the One Fair Price Act.
By blending research, storytelling, and advocacy, we turned an invisible corporate practice into a story that millions of people could understand, while influencing policymakers and holding a major corporation accountable. This approach, mixing creativity, data, and strategy, is what makes our project unique and award worthy.
The results of Same Cart, Different Price went beyond what we set out to achieve, showing in clear, measurable terms how algorithmic pricing experiments could cost households hundreds of dollars each year. Our main goal was to take a complex, hidden corporate practice and turn it into a story that could drive public awareness, media attention, regulatory momentum, and legislative action. By documenting that nearly three-quarters of grocery items tested on Instacart had multiple prices, some with up to five at the same time, and that overall basket totals varied by an average of 7%, we created evidence that was both rigorous and tangible for consumers, policymakers, and the media.
The impact shows just how effective this approach was. Within days of the report’s release, following an onslaught of negative media attention and regulatory action, Instacart announced it would end all price experimentation. The FTC launched an investigation, and state attorneys general and congressional leaders engaged directly with our findings. Legislators introduced bills like the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act and the One Fair Price Act, while media coverage and viral social engagement reached millions, translating our research into broad public visibility.
Our success came from blending our research capacity with creative storytelling and strategic communication, turning complex data into a narrative that inspired action. By exposing AI-driven price gouging practices, we showed that these strategies come with a real brand cost, one companies have historically escaped by keeping such practices hidden. Beyond these immediate outcomes, the report created a platform for ongoing corporate surveillance advocacy in 2026, positioning Groundwork and our partners to continue turning complicated economic issues into accessible, actionable campaigns for accountability and consumer protection.