Tiered pricing is EVERYWHERE now. In supermarkets, if you don’t have their app/loyalty card you have to pay higher prices. They frame it as a “discount” or “savings” for having the app, but clearly it’s just a punishment for not giving them your info and allowing them to track/advertise at you.

In restaurants/fast food places, you get “discounts” (i.e. regular prices) via the app/email list, and if you don’t have the app or give them your email address you don’t get the discount (read: you have to pay higher prices). And of course they can “tailor” personalised “deals” directly at you based on your past behaviour to optimise how much money they get out of you.

I just looked at a hotel and they’re advertising a “discount” if you give them your email address (read: a higher price if you don’t allow them to advertise at you).

I absolutely hate this behaviour. I know exactly why it’s there: some people are willing to pay more for convenience/no ads, and some are willing to go to more effort / put up with ads for a lower price. Either way they get more money out of you: the logical conclusion of capitalism and chasing higher profits.

It feels like this should be illegal. It feels like a cousin of price gouging, which is already illegal. Ofc it never will be outlawed in america - idk how much this happens across the pond though - but I hope one day this could be outlawed in europe.

  • Ace@feddit.ukOPEnglish
    43·
    5 hours ago

    Somehow I feel ok with tiered pricing when it isn’t targetted/personalised. Most barbers have a lower price for children and for over-65’s, which I’m fine with. And I have no problem with student pricing, or some places which offer a discount to nhs or army staff. Those make sense to me and I have no problem with them.

    But those feel distinct from “fuck you, get our app or give us your email address and your phone number, or else we will charge you more”, which is now how a lot of places seem to work, and most people just don’t seem to care and happily download a thousand apps and sign up for a thousand mailing lists to get 5% off.

    Am I wrong? Is there a counterargument, or is this just how business works now? This is IRL enshittification. Do you agree?