In its long-awaited artificial intelligence strategy released Thursday, the Carney government said it will “strengthen its privacy laws to ensure that Canadians’ personal information is not used inappropriately, including for surveillance pricing.” Government officials did not give further details or clarify when asked if that will be an outright ban on the practice.

  • stoy@lemmy.zip
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    2 days ago

    Discounts, sales and similar tactics have worked fine for decades if not centuries, without customers being recorded.

    Their claim is bullshit.

    • foggy@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      It’s not a claim it’s a threat.

      And I will take no discounts to fucking surveillance pricing.

      The boycott is permanent. Brick and mortar can’t change prices during business hours.

    • MangoCats@feddit.it
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      3 days ago

      Yeah, don’t threaten me with a good time.

      What I want is predictable pricing, not “ten percent off Tuesday, except the third Tuesday of the month…” and all the other BOGO crap where the discount is the real price at other stores and they just gouge you (90 to 100% in the case of BOGOs) the rest of the time.

      You don’t want to give discounts? Don’t give discounts. We’ll be comparing your prices to the competition. Discounts and sales and coupons are just a way to make price comparison harder for the consumers.

      • NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml
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        3 days ago

        At Target you can ~10% off when you buy a retail product online for pickup. -You can’t place an online order (even for pickup) without entering all of your contact and billing details…

        I know it’s technically not surveillance pricing, but it’s still incredibly scummy.

        • MangoCats@feddit.it
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          2 days ago

          Target has been pissing me off for years with their “you can’t have your laundry detergent for normal, not double jacked up, price unless you buy $50 in other cleaning supplies at the same time” games. Coupled with their “we aren’t giving you a cash discount, we’re giving you back some of what you just paid us as store credit cards, good luck not losing them…” I started, and the cashiers patiently obliged, dividing my orders to start with what gave me the store cards, then paying for the 2nd part of my order with the store cards from the first part.

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Oh yeah, that’s the problem… All the companies falling over themselves to give out extra discounts to consumers.

    “Why is the government stopping us from charging our customers LESS??”

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    There have been discounts back in time where retailers did not have personal information on that level. What happened to stickers like “10% off” for all customers?

    • Archer@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      That’s way more expensive than fucking with people too tired and poor to fight back

  • breezeblock@lemmy.ca
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    3 days ago

    Your “discounts” are being subsidized by someone else’s over charges.

    What ever happened to charging enough to cover your overhead and have middle class life?

  • x00z@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    God they’re so transparent.

    “But the discounts we want to give our customers!!!”

  • Cherry@piefed.social
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    3 days ago

    Sounds like the rich when they threaten to leave if they don’t get their own way. If he gets voted in we will leave.

    If they don’t like it they have every choice leave or not trade.

  • foggy@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Kill it with fire.

    I have already pre-boycotted digital pricetags in brick and mortar stores. I will just drop all my shit and leave. You will not get my money if you’re changing the prices on customers like that.

  • Zak@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    I think most of us understand economics well enough to see that there’s no difference between a selective discount and a selective price hike.