A new book by Lindsay Owens
The End of a Fair Price – and What That Means for Your Wallet
Available now
What a duo! @owenslindsay1 and @elliswonk joined forces at @politicsandprose last week for a great conversation about Lindsay’s new book, "Gouged," and the ways corporations are using new technologies to reinvent the rip-off.
Thanks to everyone who joined us!
With the release of AI agents like Meta's Muse, tech companies are promising consumers that they will start saving them tons of money by finding the best deals.
On this episode of the Odd Lots podcast, @owenslindsay1 joins @TheStalwart and @tracyalloway to discuss her think
Under Trumpism, Peanut Butter Cups are 23.4% more expensive
Happy Halloween.
From a new report by the Century Foundation
One final, jarring cost-spike before the election
I had so much fun joining @TheStalwart and @tracyalloway on Odd Lots. We dug in on the future of agentic commerce and talked about my new book, Gouged. Here are two of the experiments I cited on the show about conflicts of interest and personalized pricing.
1. A September 2026
Families can't catch a break.
Credit: @TCFdotorg and @Groundwork
Higher borrowing costs are affecting how businesses set prices and hire workers. Among Texas firms reporting an increase, 59% have raised prices or plan to, while 42% have reduced or plan to reduce hiring. https://www.dallasfed.org/research/surveys/tmos/2026/2610
The price of Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins has increased nearly 25% in 2026.
I started following @owenslindsay1 years ago b/c she was one of the few reporters who bothered to listen in on quarterly earnings calls where CEOs were openly bragging about price gouging during COVID so I'm VERY excited to dig in to her new book. Congratulations, Lindsay!
NEW ODD LOTS:
@tracyalloway and I talk to @owenslindsay1 about the state of the art technology that companies are finding to figuring the maximum price you will pay for something.
New York state would be the largest state to ban surveillance pricing.... if @GovKathyHochul would sign the bill sitting on her desk.
As @SRuhle on @MSNOW says, "Governor Hochul, we're looking at you."
It's not just the usual bad guys ripping you off anymore – even your area museum or zoo can use "rainy days" as an excuse to charge you more.
@owenslindsay1 went on @MSNOWNews to discuss how deceptive pricing practices are popping up everywhere from Walmart to kids' museum.
What if the person buying the exact same groceries as you was paying less?
An investigation found Instacart used AI-powered pricing experiments to show shoppers different prices for identical items — sometimes up to 23% higher.
@owenslindsay1 of @Groundwork explains.
More than half (53%) of manufacturers surveyed by the Kansas City Fed reported that customers have become more price-sensitive over the past six months. Manufacturers also shared their experiences with rising costs and pricing decisions:
Walmart doesn’t need to know:
where you live
where you work
where your kids practice soccer
what restaurants you go to
what you post online
how fast your heart is beating
And yet, somehow, there’s a patent for that.
