Seattle city officials approved an ordinance on Thursday, September 24, 2026, that stops large grocery retailers from using shoppers' personal information to set prices for individual customers. The measure, adopted at 01:45:22 GMT, makes it illegal for big grocery chains operating in the city to adjust prices based on data collected about a shopper's purchasing history or other personal details.
The new rule targets what industry observers call surveillance pricing, a practice where retailers analyze a consumer's buying patterns and other data to offer different prices to different shoppers for the same product. By outlawing the use of personal data for price discrimination, the ordinance seeks to ensure that all customers in Seattle face the same price for identical items, regardless of their shopping habits.
The city council's action applies specifically to large grocery retailers, a category that includes the major national and regional chains with multiple locations across Seattle. Smaller independent stores are not covered by the ban, as the legislation focuses on entities with the resources to gather extensive consumer data.
City officials said the ordinance is intended to protect consumer privacy and promote pricing fairness in the grocery market. While the regulation does not prohibit stores from using aggregate data for inventory or marketing purposes, it draws a clear line at the point where that information could influence the price offered to an individual shopper.
The ban on surveillance pricing joins a growing list of local measures aimed at curbing data-driven discrimination in commerce. Seattle's approach mirrors similar efforts in other jurisdictions that have examined how personal data is leveraged in retail settings. The ordinance now moves to the implementation phase, with the city set to establish compliance guidelines and enforcement mechanisms for the affected grocery chains.